Help I'm Trapped in a Villian's Body!
by KaliAnn
Summary: For Dlsky's challenge. An accident causes Robin and Slade to switch bodies and forces them to live the others life. Now Robin is desperate to switch back, but what happens if Slade, who enjoys being a hero, doesn't want to? Will Robin get his body back?
1. Switched

Robin paced his study angrily. Slade had gotten away once again this time stealing sophisticated microchips and computer boards. Robin shoved the table over angrily. Why? Why did Slade haunt him so badly? Why did he constantly pursue him? What drove Slade do to the things he did?

"Robin? Forgive my intrusion, but I wanted to check in on you. Lately you have been somewhat moody. Please will you not tell me what's the matter?" Starfire asked him gently.

"Its nothing Starfire. I'm just trying to figure out Slade's next move. I just don't understand why I can't figure him out. Maybe I need to take a break. I'm going to bed. Good night." Robin told her.

It took awhile for Robin to fall asleep. His mind was too preoccupied with finding out the truth about Slade. The desire to find out who he was under that mask had become an obsession. One that constantly ate away at him causing him to take foolish risks and put the ones he cared about the most in danger. He no longer had pleasant dreams but nightmares clouded his mind. Nightmares that seemed so real. Lately he his dreams seem to be almost like memories, but none that he lived.

In the living room the rest of the Titans sat on the couch discussing their leader's troubles. "Robin is losing it guys. He's constantly on the verge of collapsing, he's always trying to hunt down Slade, and he doesn't take a break ever." Cyborg said.

"Yeah not to mention his whole attitude had gotten worse lately. He's more aggressive then usual. He's acting like he use to when we first met Slade. I thought that after that incident with Slade making him his apprentice he would have changed his ways." Beast Boy said confused.

"Perhaps that's the root of the problem. What Slade did has greatly affected Robin emotionally, physically, and mentally. It hasn't helped that whenever we encounter Slade after that Robin's the only one who had to face him. He's never gotten a chance to really work out those emotions. Not to mention Slade hasn't given up either. He seems genuinely intrigued by Robin and continues to pursue him whether it's to kill him or try to recapture him." Raven remarked gravely.

"Raven is right. Slade's latest crimes have only furthered Robin's desire to hunt him down. We have never clearly understood Slade's motives in any of his plans. We know very little about the real him or what he truly desires. What makes a person do such bad things? But what is certain is that neither Slade nor Robin will be content until the other one submits to him. That has me worried." Starfire said anxiously.

"Star's right. We have to figure out what's Slade's planning before Robin hurts himself. Lets try to figure this out. We know he stole microchips, computer boards, a neural interface, a transmitter array, and lastly he stole compact miniature battery pack. What could all this stuff make when put together?" Cyborg asked programming the data into the computer.

"Dude that could take all night and its already past midnight. Why don't we get some sleep and try again tomorrow? That way we can try to keep Robin occupied while were busy tracking down Slade." Beast Boy suggested.

"You know that's not a bad idea. You're not such an idiot after all. Good night everyone." Raven said before silently walking to her room. The others shut down the computer turned off the lights and headed for bed. No one realized that soon they be facing their toughest challenge.

Slade was busy working on his newest invention to help break Robin. To make him become his apprentice come willingly to his side. He had attacked him before emotionally and pushed Robin to his physical limits. What he needed now was to mentally tune him to his proper destiny. That way he would clearly see he was destined to be Slade's successor.

For the past two weeks he had been working on developing a way to transfer his mental patterns to Robin via his REM patterns. If he could get Robin to think and react like him then it wouldn't be long till Robin was doing it voluntarily. Preliminary tests had shown excellent results. The Titans had no idea that he was using their own security system for his own advantages. By linking his mind up to his transmitter and sending out an electronic signal through the security system he could project his brainwaves inside Robin's head. So far the boy had only been experiencing extremely vivid and dark imagery but as soon as he obtained the final pieces to his machine he would be able to transmit even when Robin was awake.

Tapping some keys on his computer he brought up some medical charts that he wished to compare. "Computer record apprentice journal entry 45. Robin's brain activity has increased by fifteen percent due to outside stimuli. His brain chemistry is slightly off in his serontonian levels along with his electrons firing at a higher rate. Certain sections off the brain have been altered and some off his higher brain functions have increased. In short his brain is adapting swiftly to deal with the mental images I have sent him. When I compare Robin's mind to my own shortly after I became immortal I noticed that they are almost identical. This warrants further study. For now I have decided its time to increase the amount of imagery my young apprentice receives. He's already responding well to low and medium levels so why not a high level?" Slade said grinning wickedly behind his mask.

Placing the headband around his head he connected the device to his MET (Mental Experience Transmitter) device and interphased it with his main computer. Two screens lit up flashing the message "Awaiting data." Smiling evilly he closed his one eye and thought back to the day he first became immortal. He tried to imagine every smell, every touch, and every sound just as it was. He could clearly picture it in his mind. The device, which looked like a small gray tower with blinking lights on it, came to life buzzing with excitement. The first screen sprang to life with memories of that day. The second should Robin in his bed beginning to have a nightmare.

Robin was panting hard. He began to toss and turn as sweat began to pore down his face. He clutched the blanket so tightly in his that he started tearing it apart. He was also talking in his sleep. "No, stop get away from me. Leave me alone."

Robin was in a hospital room. It was dark and he could smell the faint odor of dead bodies. He was strapped tightly to a gurney. He saw his best friend Wintergreen watching waiting for the procedure to began.

The doctors strolled up to him. "This might sting a little bit. Remember if you feel any pain tell us. You and the other test subjects in this project have been selected for this important assignment becomes of your commitment and talent."

"Shut up and give me the injection already." Robin growled. He was eagerly waiting for the procedure to begin. He could only imagine the kind of power he would have when it was over.

Suddenly his veins felt like they were on fire. His whole body screamed in agony. He began to jerk violently back and force. His vital signs went from all time high to low. Time had no meaning. But he could feel his intelligence growing, his cells changing; his body was undergoing a massive transformation to something more powerful. It was becoming immortal.

Robin woke up screaming at the top of his lungs. He looked down at his hands, which had begun to bleed from being scratched at so much. The Titans burst into his room flipping on the lights. "Robin! Please what is the matter? Why are you screaming like a howling shulgar?" Starfire asked as she knelt down next to him.

"Its nothing really. Just a bad dream really I'm fine." Robin insisted pulling away from her.

"Dude your sweating like a pig and screaming like you've just seen a ghost. Not to mention you're bleeding. You're not okay." Beast Boy said.

"Lets go to the sickbay. I want to give you a full examination." Cyborg said. Before Robin could protest he picked him up and carried him into the sickbay all the while he protested.

Once there Cyborg began running several tests on him while Raven healed his hands. "Robin why didn't you tell me about these nightmares? I could have helped you deal with them. Right now I'm sensing a lot of fear in you and that's not good for your health. Remember what happened when I didn't talk about my fear?" she reminded him.

"I'm not you. Guys please you don't have to do this. Those nightmares are just images in my brain. They mean nothing." Robin insisted

"I don't know about that. According to these test your brainwave patterns are slightly erratic and you body has twice the usual amount of serration and adrenalin pumping through it. Something stimulating your body and if it keeps up your brain could overload and put you in a coma. Right now I think the best thing for you is to monitor you sleep and take it easy for a few days." Cyborg advised

"Agreed. You need to take some time off. That includes letting us deal with the threats to the city and you staying here and resting. We will call you if we need you. Now please go to bed." Starfire said running her hand through his hair.

"Alright I'll stay here for the night and try to rest. But don't expect me to be back to my old fun loving self tomorrow. Something is happening to me and I intend to find out what it is." Robin told them.

"Dude just go to bed. Will even leave a nightlight on for you. Night everyone see you in the morning." Beast Boy said yawning as he went to bed. The others followed suit and soon Robin was fast asleep with the machines monitoring him.

"Sleep all you want my young friend. Now that I know that my device works perfectly at distances, its time for the new improved compact model. Once I get the newly sub zero emitter crystal I can create a compact MET. This one would be able to work while the you're awake as long as you're wearing the headband." He would proceed with his plans tomorrow. Soon Robin would be evil.

The next day Robin woke up with Cyborg and Raven going over the readings from last night. They seemed to be a little concerned by the results. They were little on the high side. "Why I can't tell what's causing your brain to react like this, but I'm sure that I'll find the solution to the problem soon." Cyborg assured him.

"Till then I recommend you to take it easy. Maybe you should learn how to meditate or some other of my mind techniques for controlling your mind and emotions. There really quite helpful." Raven suggested.

"Maybe later. Right now I got to go practice. Just because I'm taking it easy is no reason for me to get out of shape. Excuse me." Robin said brushing past them.

Robin was in the middle of his workout when Starfire entered the room carrying Silky in her arms. She had a look of concern on her face. "Robin are you sure that your healthy enough to be doing all this activity? Cyborg said that your brain activity was erratic and Raven has insisted that you take it easy. You are doing neither."

"I'm fine really Starfire. I'm not good at doing the whole relaxing thing. I promise you that I'll try to relax later right now I want to try and pretend that everything normal." Robin said.

Silky chose that moment to jump from Starfire's arms and into Robins. He began to lick his face with his long tongue much to Robin's annoyance. Starfire laughed at his misfortune. "Ah isn't that sweet. Silky must really love you to give you a kiss."

"Yeah well here you go." Robin said handing back the pet. She took him back reluctantly. Robin notice that she was looking at him sadly with her eyes. "Starfire I'm okay really. Look if anything was wrong with me you could tell by looking into my eyes. The eyes are the window to the soul." He told her taking her hands in his. Suddenly the alarm went off. Ignoring the look from Starfire he simply said, "Trouble. Lets go."

In the main room Beast Boy was at the computer consul trying to isolate the cause for the disturbance. He barely looked up when the rest of the team entered the room. "We've got trouble. Someone broke into Gemtech and is currently raiding their safes. No clue to who though."

"That place is on the other side of town. Will get there faster if we take the T-car. I'll follow on my R cycle. Titans go." Robin ordered before anyone could tell him to stay home.

When the Titans got to Gemtech they were not surprised to see Slade's robots looting the safe. "Whatever you guys are after your not getting it. Titans go!" Robin ordered whirling his bo staff at the closet robots.

The robots were ready for the assault. They used the emitter crystals to intensify their lasers. Cyborg dove behind a stack of rubies and shot his sonic cannon through them. The blast was magnified tenfold obliterating the robots. "Booyah! There's nothing like blasting a couple robots in the morning to get the juices flowing."

Raven was thrown out of the safe and into the research lab by a well-placed shot. The robots then unleashed a new kind of weapon on her. A sort of sonic blast meant to destroy her ears. She threw up a shield around her. She glanced to her right and saw a growth chamber where they made the crystals in. "Azerath Metrion Zinthos!" she chanted waving her hand. The robots barely had time to register that there was a two-ton crystal chamber floating above their heads before they were flattened.

Beast Boy was getting knocked around. It seemed no matter what animal he changed into he couldn't evade the laser fire. Turning into a mountain gorilla he leaped on top of the robots and ripped their arms off.

Enemy forces surrounded Starfire. She whirled around in the air releasing starbolt after starbolt. One Sladebot managed to grab her leg. Her eyes blazing she flung the automaton straight into the wall. She began to search frantically for Robin, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Robin had chased an escaping Sladebot who had enough sub zero crystals to make half a dozen weapons. He threw a birdarang straight at him but the Sladebot merely deflected it and kept running. He shoved open the door to the stairwell and rocket towards the exit to the roof. Robin fired a grappling hook and followed him onto the rooftop.

It was very quiet on the roof. There were not a lot of places to hide. Just a couple of transformers and an air duct. Robin readied himself with two freeze disks and proceeded cautiously. "Come out from where ever you're hiding. I want to know exactly what your master programmed you to do with those crystals."

He walked close to the transformers but not close enough to get electrocuted. Something about this wasn't right. Why had that one Sladebot run off like that? Why was there no evidence of his departure? A cold feeling swept through Robin. Suddenly he didn't feel like being alone on the rooftop.

That's when someone jumped him from behind and forced him to the ground. "Did I catch you off your guard Robin? A pity your usually much more careful then that." Slade hissed into his ear as he forced the headband onto to his head.

Robin struggled and managed to throw the heavier man off his body. He tried to yank the device off his head but it was stuck fast. "What do you want Slade? Why did you steal those emitter crystals?" he demanded angrily

"Patience my boy. You'll soon see. In fact you'll be seeing a lot of things my way soon enough." Slade predicted. He was wearing a matching headband. He then pressed a button on his utility belt and a strange device that was strapped to it began to glow.

Robin head began to explode with images and intense feelings that were completely alien to him. He grabbed his head and started yelling in pain. "No stop! Get this thing off me!" He struggled envain to remove the headband from his head.

"Not a chance. Soon the procedure will be complete. I must thank you for being so stubborn. I might have had to wait weeks to use this device on you if you stayed in the Tower. Now your all mine." Slade laughed. He was still laughing when an explosion from below shook the roof. Losing his balance he fell onto the transformers causing them to blow.

Both Robin and Slade screamed in pain. The miniature MET was going berserk. Sparks were shooting everywhere and the device let out a high pitch whine. The headbands glowed brightly and a slight zapping noise was heard right before the transformers blew up. Both of them went soaring off the roof.

Robin fell fast towards the ground banging his head against the fire escape causing the headband to dislodge. He would have hit the ground and become a street pizza if Starfire hadn't caught him right before he hit the ground. "Robin! Speak to me. Robin are you okay?" she asked worried. She saw out of the corner of her eye the last few Sladebot departing with their master. The rest of the team raced out of the building.

"We should go after them. Put an end to Slade once and for all." Beast Boy said.

"No we need to get back to the Tower. Robin has been gravely injured. He needs immediate medical attention." Starfire insisted urgently.

"She's right. Come on you all were heading back to the Tower. Raven think you can tow Robin's cycle back with your powers?" Cyborg asked. Raven nodded her head and went to fetch the bike.

Once back at the tower Cyborg and Raven wasted no time in examining him. "From the looks of things he's lucky to be alive. He was nearly electrocuted to death when that transformer blew." Cyborg said.

"He has a minor concussion but that should heal in a few days. I've also taken care of the burns. His brain wave activity is a little weird but that might have to do with the jolt he received." Raven concluded.

"So he'll be okay? I mean he might be off for a few days but in other words he'll be fine?" Beast Boy asked. Raven nodded and he let out a sigh of relief.

"I wonder what Slade was up to on that rooftop. Why was he after those crystals and what did he do to Robin?" Starfire said anxiously. Before anyone could answer Robin let out a groan. "Robin! You are okay." She said giving him a hug.

He looked at her confused. He seemed puzzled by her actions as well as his surroundings. He looked at each Titan in surprise then caught a glimpse of his own reflection. His eyes widened in horror and he let out a scream.

"Robin chill man. Yeah you look like a wreck, but your okay. Everything is fine. Starfire saved you from becoming part of the pavement. You were hurt but we fixed you up just dandy. Why don't you rest for awhile while we go try to figure out Slade's next move okay?" Cyborg suggested. The Titans nodded and left Robin alone.

Robin forced himself out of bed and walked over to the mirror. He pinched himself hard to try waking himself up. It didn't work. Looking down at himself then back at the mirror furiously. He drew back his fist and smashed it. Blood trickled to the floor proving this wasn't a dream. "How can this be? How can I be trapped in this body?"

Across town in Slade's hideout Slade was waking up. He felt very strange and bumped into stuff like he wasn't use to having one eye. When he caught a look at his reflection on the computer screen he attacked it. He fell to the ground in pain and horror. Bringing his hands to his masked face he realized in revulsion it was his own reflection. "Oh no this can't be true it just can't be. This is my worst nightmare. I'm trapped in my nemesis body!" he wailed.


	2. Familarizing

Slade looked down at his bleeding hands and let out a growl of frustration. "So I can be injured. I've almost forgotten what its like to bleed." He whispered to himself. He had been immortal so long that even when he was injured he almost instantly healed. It was strange to be in a body that could be so easily damaged.

What had happened? How did he end up in this body? When he tried to use his brilliant mind to analyze the situation he was startled when he couldn't access the millions of possibilities that his super intelligent brain could come up with. Clenching his hands to a fist he let out angry shout. He was no longer himself, now he was a kid.

Curious he stepped closer to the mirror, which he had shattered earlier and examined himself. Even though he had watched and observed Robin for ages he never had taken into account what it would be like to be him. He flexed his new muscles and was pleased with their strength. He could literally feel the energy pulsating in this body it was practically screaming to be used. The outfit was a little to colorful for his taste but the mask was cool. It had been so long since his wife Addie had shot out his eye he hadn't thought about having two. His vision was excellent. He ran his hand through his spiked hair trying to flatten it out. He frowned when he saw what it looked like. It reminded him too much of when Mother May Eye had invaded the Tower.

Slade froze letting his hair stand on ends. He stumbled backwards from the mirror and tripped over a fallen table. As he fell to the ground he twisted himself into a handspring and landed on the bed surprised. "What is going on? This body is reacting naturally and I have access to Robin's memories? How in the world is that possible?" he asked himself in wonderment.

Slade hurried out of the sickbay rushing down the hallways towards Robin's room. It was so strange. He had never actually been in the Tower before only observed it through the security cameras yet he knew where everything was, every twist and turn, it felt so familiar yet strange at the same time. He finally found his no Robin's room and entered locking the door behind him.

The Boy Wonder's room wasn't very decorative. He kept things to himself. He walked over to the bed and collapsed trying to make sense of what had happen. "This is ridicules! I'm Slade Wilson the most feared villain in Jump City, Deathstroke the Terminator the greatest mercenary ever and yet here I am acting like a scared little kid! Get a grip Slade. You can figure this out. Obviously something happened to the compact MET when the transformer blew. Somehow you and Robin have switched bodies. If you use Robin's memories you can get the right information to fix this mess and maybe cause chaos among the Titans." Slade said with a leer on his face. He stood up and headed for the door when he knocked over a photo near the bed. He bent down to pick it up.

It was of Robin and Starfire at the park having a picnic. Starfire was drinking mustard and laughing her long red hair flying in the wind. Robin was eating a burger talking with her a grin plastered on his face. Though his eyes where hidden it was obvious he was in love. "Foolish emotions. Robin wastes his time and energy on that naïve Starfire. She is weak and nothing but a nuisance." Slade snarled angrily as he chucked the picture on the bed. Yet for a moment he felt strangely attached to the picture like it was a link to a happy memory, one that he couldn't access. Shaking his head he stormed out of his no Robin's room intent on finding a solution this dilemma without letting the Titans in on his secret.

He was heading to the Titans Mainframe, which housed their supercomputer that was linked to every known database in the world when he paused by a door. He didn't recall this room from any of the security tapes he watched yet it felt strongly familiar. There was an intense urge to go inside. He opened the door and blinked in the darkness waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dimness. When they did he was amazed by what he found. He chuckled to himself. "So this is my apprentice's private sanctum." He said coldly

He ran his hands over the wall reading snippets from the articles pinned to the wall. He was impressed by Robin's resourcefulness and determination to find any little scrap about him. He walked to the table in the center and examined the items on it smiling at the way Robin was so meticulous with each item. He picked up the folder marked SLADE and couldn't help but read it. After scanning it for a few minutes he frowned slightly. Robin was awfully close to the truth about him far closer then he liked.

He closed the folder and put it away. Frowning he turned and left this room. It held to many painful memories for this body and he didn't have time to examine them right now. He was so focused on getting to the Mainframe that he didn't notice that he entered the room marked EVIDENCE. He gave a long loud whistle when he saw what was in here. "This is practically a museum. I guess he picked up this habit from when he worked with Batman." Slade muttered. It was strange how when he tried to access memories that were very personal or intimate he was blocked from them. It was almost like Robin's mind had placed a barrier in front of those memories.

He walked slowly through the displays touching each item. Everything here brought back memories and filled him with strange feelings. When he touched Mad Mod's cane he was filled with mixed feelings. One was annoyance and the other was resentment falling into his trap and losing his youth to him. That was most unsettling. Another container held a wooden puppet of him and that brought back feelings of confusion and helplessness. But there was something in here that drew Slade to far wall. A curtain had been placed in front of a glass case. He started to pull on the cord even though he got the worst feeling of dread rushing through him. He let go then smacked himself. "I'm being completely childish about this. If I'm to pass for Robin till I can figure a way back to my Robin I have to know everything about him including what scares him." Firmly grasping the cord he pulled hard revealing Robin's apprentice outfit.

Slade smiled as he gazed upon the suit. He had worked so hard to make it just the right size for Robin. It was based off his own suit with a slight difference to show who was the master and who was the apprentice. He was eagered to get Robin back into this outfit and out of these ridicules colors. Wondering what it felt like to wear it he unlocked the case and started to put it on when his head exploded.

"Ahh!" he screamed sinking to his knees. He clutched his head in his hands and bit down on his lip as painful memories surfaced. He recognized them as being from the time Robin served as his apprentice. He had enjoyed watching Robin wallow in despair and helplessness. To become something he hated and work for his worst enemy in a devil's deal to keep his annoying little friends alive. At the time he hadn't believed that they would cause so much trouble or take Robin away from him. Nor had he fully understood the emotions going through Robin. But now he did.

He felt the anguish and shame of stealing for Slade and his unhappiness of fighting his friends. His fear that he was truly like Slade and nothing would change that ever. The desperation and sadness watching his friends die. The love and caring he felt for them especially Starfire. The intense hatred for Slade but also at the same time and this was surprising the admiring of being who had complete control of everything. The memories were intense and he sensed that Robin was still trying to sort out what had happened to him during this ordeal.

Slade gasped for breath as he managed to surface from the memory recall. He was breathing in short shallow breaths. What had just happen to him was like nothing he had ever experienced not even when he had been turned immortal. One thing was sure he didn't think he could handle another onslaught of memories. He had to get out of this room.

Slade finally found the Mainframe and using his superior knowledge of computers managed to download everything he needed onto a disk, which he would look at later. Right now his new body was craving for something to eat so he headed for the main room to see what he could find to eat hoping he wouldn't run into any of the Titans.

Luck was not on his side. They were all there. Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing some stupid video game, Raven was reading one of her books and Starfire was cooking something that resembled brains. Slade couldn't help but glare at them each. They were pathetic and weak! None of them were a real match for him yet they still found a way to defy him. He was going to put a stop to that. He was going to make sure that while he was in this body Robin's friends suffered for everything they had done to him. Till then he had to act like Robin. "Hey guys what are you up to?"

They turned to face him with concern on their faces. It annoyed them. Caring about others was for the weak. Yet at the same time it made him feel pleased that they would take time out of their lives to help him no Robin out with whatever was bothering him. Their friendship was strong and that was the key to their success. He would have to work hard to break it. As they hurried over to him he couldn't help but wonder what Robin was doing with his body.

Across town in Slade's hideout Robin was screaming at the top of his lungs and bashing his head into the wall desperate to wake up from this nightmare. So far it wasn't helping much except to give him a giant sized headache. He needed to calm down, take some deep breath, and figure out what happened. "Okay calm down and take this one thing at a time. Obviously something extraordinary has occurred. Most likely when I was on the rooftop with Slade the transformer explosion caused a power surge in the transfer headbands causing our brainwave patterns to switch minds. The only ways to fix this is if I can rebuild the portable MET and recreate the sequence of events that led up to this change. What? How did I know that and why is my mind filled with hundreds of ideas? Its like I can use a lot more of my brain then usual."

Robin looked at his new reflection in distaste. The armor he wore was heavy yet flexible, but the coloring was dull. He hated having only one eye and couldn't figure out how Slade managed. When he tested his new body he found it fit and ready for anything. He already knew that he was strong so he did a few warm up exercises to test it out and was surprised to discover the flexibility and agility. He knew Slade could handle punishment but this was incredible. He didn't feel tired, hungry, or any pain. It was like his body had no sense of that at all.

Robin decided to take a look around the lair. He decided if he was going to be temporally stuck in Slade's body he should learn all he could about him. Maybe he could find a way to bring Slade down once and for all. That thought brought a smile to his covered face.

He wandered around aimlessly for a while noticing that Slade liked to keep things in the dark. How he avoided tripping over something was beyond him. He came across a computer panel in the back of the room next to some screens. He fingered the panel a sense of familiarity growing in him. Without thinking about he punched in some codes and the computer screen came to life. "Wow. There must be thousands of programs and files on this thing. I wonder, Computer display any information regarding a MET device."

Immediately three-dimensional display of the device appeared on the screen along with several detailed notes. Robin began to read about the device. "Lets see the Mental Experience Transmitter is designed to transfer brainwave patterns to people via their REM patterns. Once mixed together the subject begins to experience a full in depth vivid imagery that eventually rewrites a person brainwave patterns causing them to act like that person. Potential side effects including brain damage, insanity, behavioral changes, even death. But risk is part of the game and nothing worth having comes easily. I'm sure that once I fine tune the transmitter and rewire the circuitry I can easily make the device work with out the use of headbands in the portable device. Then my apprentice will be mine. What! What in the world am I talking about?"

Robin backed away from the panel and fell over the original MET. As he got up he noticed with some annoyance that the security to his lair hadn't been turned on nor had he thought about going over his plans to control the city. He had a criminal empire to run. He frowned as he watched the video monitors display different parts of the city. He should be out there causing havoc and getting rid of the Titans once and for all.

Robin slapped himself hard across the face twice. "What's gotten into me? This isn't like when Starfire and Raven switched. At least then they maintained their own memories, personalities, and behavioral patterns. I seem to have access to both mine and parts of Slade's mind and I'm more inclined to react like he would. These impulses are strong and I got to keep them in check."

Strolling over to a workbench he removed the twisted blackened remains of the portable MET. It was completely destroyed. The only thing it was good for now was scrape metal. If he was going to get back into his own body he would have to first figure out how this worked and then with the computers help come up with another one that would return him to his body. As he sat down he shuddered wondering what Slade could be doing at this moment in his body with the Titans. He clenched his fists tightly together. If he hurt Starfire in anyway he was going to kill him.

Slade had just made his presence known to the rest of the group and now they were flocking over to him to examine him. He found their concern to be both distasteful and welcomed at the same time. "Back off will you. I'm not dieing you know." He said forcing them away from him.

"Man what are you doing up out of bed. I thought I told you to take some time off. You've been through a terrible ordeal. With getting electrocuted and thrown off a rooftop your lucky your injuries aren't more serious. Still with your concussion it would be better off if you rested." Cyborg told him trying to lead him back to the medical bay but Slade shook him off.

"I don't need some half robotic freak telling me how to take care of myself. I'm doing just fine on my own thank you very much." Slade snarled at him

"Dude your not acting like yourself. Well you are and you aren't. I'm no doctor but I think the stress of last few days is getting to you. Maybe you should take a break." Beast Boy advised.

"Who are you to tell me what to do? I'm the leader of this team and it's my life. If I want to endanger it whose going to stop me?" Slade asked. These brats were starting to annoy him. They just couldn't take a hint he wanted to be left alone.

"Robin, please let us help you. I know that you're not in your right mind right now. We can help you if you just let us. If your not going to go to your room will you at least sit down in here where we can keep an eye on you?" Raven requested

"Fine. But no fussing over me got it? I'm not a baby alright?" Slade said.

"Yeah we know even if your acting like one. Come on dude I just got Galactic Racers 5000 3D and I need a partner to play with. Star get us some grub on while I beat the pants off our diminished leader!" Beast Boy said dragging Slade over to the couch and thrusting a controller into his hands before he could protest.

"Come on man put your money where your mouth is. I'm going to beat you so fast it won't be funny." BB said already playing the game.

Slade just looked at the controller dumbfounded. They wanted him to play a computer game? What kind of test was that of his skills? He wanted to snap Beast Boy wrist for even suggesting he tried. He started to reach over to do so when he stopped and instead started playing the game.

It was a great way to test Robin's hand eye coordination and watch the Titans in there natural envierment. He also could get them to be more cooraptive with him if he went along with them. He soon was lost in the game trying his hardest to win. He always had to win. When he beat Beast Boy he let out a whoop of surprise. He smiled and thought to himself that was actually fun. He enjoyed himself.

It was like that for the rest of the day. He would try to harm the Titans, but at the last moment would stop and save them. He tried to crush Cyborg by dropping a car engine on him, but stopped by shouting a warning. He almost chocked Raven with her cloak but instead asked her to teach him how to mediate. Starfire was the hardest. He found her in her room knitting something. He was already to grab the needles and stab her to death when she turned and smiled at him.

"Robin there you are. How are you feeling?" Starfire inquired

"I'm fine Star. I just wanted to see what you were up to." He told her.

"I'm fine thank you for asking. I have decided to try a new Earth hobby called knitting. I find it very relaxing. Right now I'm knitting a sweater for Silky. I have heard pet owners do that. Do you think that Silky would look better with a blue or red sweater?" Starfire asked.

"Um I'm not really the best one to ask about that. I guess red would be the color to go with it because it matches your hair. I'm going to go work out. Bye." Slade said backpedaling. This conversation was making him a sick. He wanted to tell her she was being stupid to worry about something so frivolous. Yet he didn't want to cause her pain.

"Stop right there mister. Raven told you couldn't do strenuous activities because of your concussion. Do you want to cause your brain to swell up so much you die?" Starfire demanded grabbing his arm.

"Let go Star now! I'm not a child. I can take care of myself." Slade ordered shoving her away.

"Robin please don't. I care too much about you to see you hurt yourself. You can workout tomorrow when you're better. Please for me?" Starfire pleaded.

"Oh alright. I'll go to my room and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow Star." Slade told her He gave her a reassuring smile and took her hands. "Don't worry Star. I'll be back to normal tomorrow."

"I hope so. Now go get some rest. I'll check in with you later." Starfire said happily.

Slade did go to Robin's room and did a few simple exercises and practiced with all of the Boy Wonder's equipment. It was amazing how easy it was to use it and how naturally his fighting style came to him. True Robin was nowhere near perfect, but that's where training came in. He could turn Robin into the ultimate fighting machine.

The events of today finally caught up with him and he fell into bed exhausted. He was a little steamed that he was tired, but not much. It felt good to be able to sleep in warm comfy bed.

That night he had a nightmare. Robin's memories and nightmares were mixing with his own. As he tossed and turned in bed he found it impossible to wake up as he was bombarded with painful memories. There was some of Robin agonizing as Starfire ran away from them and him being Red X and fighting the new Red X. Also memories of being a mercenary and losing his family haunted him. He woke up to someone calling Robin's name and he screamed "Addie!"

"Robin snap out of it. You were having a nightmare. Everything okay now." Starfire said. She was sitting on his bed with her hands on his shoulders trying to comfort him. She leaned in and hugged him and he hugged her back. "Its okay its okay. I'm here now."

"Starfire it was terrible. All those memories racing through my mind I thought I was going to drown. If you hadn't woken me up I don't know what would have happened to me." Slade told her.

"Since you've been having nightmares lately I took the liberty of reading up on what humans do to help them out as well as drawn on my own experiences. When I was small my kanorshishca Galfore would sing to me or give me a nightlight so I wouldn't have nightmares. Since you're a little old for those things I did something else. Here I bought it for you." Starfire said happily handing him brown teddy bear that had on his outfit. "I hope you like it."

"I love it Starfire. Thank you. No one has ever given me such a thoughtful gift before." Slade said honestly. He was touched by Starfire's kindness and selfless nature. It reminded him of Addie. "I think I'll call him Wonder Bear. Thanks again for the gift. I'm going to try and get some rest now." Slade said hugging the bear to his chest and snuggling under the covers.

Starfire got off the bed and headed for the door but paused for a moment. She turned to face Robin and asked. "Robin, while you were sleeping you were talking in your sleep. You woke up screaming the name Addie. Who is she?"

"Just someone I use to know a long time ago. Think nothing of it Star. Good night." Slade said sleepily as he fell back to sleep. This time no nightmares haunted him.

Across town in the darkened hideout Robin had just completed his task of finding out what the portable MET was made up off and with the computers help him find a way to switch him back. Since there brainwave patterns had been switched and certain memories were blocked off it became clear that there souls still resided in the right bodies. That's why they were still responding the way they would naturally. If they didn't switch back soon the new brainwave patterns would permently be altered. The solution was to recreate the accident as soon as possible.

Robin glared angrily at the computer screen as he read what parts he needed and how long it would take to completely rebuild the device. He could take some things he needed from the original device but for certain rare parts he needed to steal those.

"Well you've been a criminal twice before in your life and you can do it again. Its not like you can just buy these parts. Just remember the sooner you get those parts the sooner you'll be back in your own body with your friends." Robin told himself trying to justify the actions he would take once morning came.


	3. Hero

The sunlight streamed through the blinds on the window and landed on Slade's face. It woke him up. He blinked a few times a rubbed his eyes in confusion. He glanced around him and down next to him where the teddy bear was. His eyes widened in horror and he hurled the bear across the room and began tearing the room apart in a frenzy. When he was done the room looked like a tornado had passed through it.

"What the hell is the matter with me? Sleeping in a cozy bed, having fun, talking with girls and sleeping with a teddy bear? I must be out of my mind! I'm not a little kid!" Slade swore and hurried out of the room. He had to fix this situation before it got any worse. Right now his main concern was figuring out what the hell was the matter with him. Why was he acting so strange?

He sauntered into the main living area ignoring the rest of the Titans who were just sitting down to a breakfast of cereal and tofu eggs. Cyborg was busy arguing with Beast Boy why tofu shouldn't be eaten. Raven was calmly sipping her herbal tea and reading a book. Starfire was eating Rice Crispies and playing with the toy bobble head that came in the box. She looked up and opened her mouth. "Good morning Robin! How did you sleep last night? Did my little present help you at all last night."

Slade gave her a cold stare and shoved past her and flung open the fridge door. He was mad and hungry. Not a good combination. He some ham and mustard and proceed to make himself a sandwich. He felt the others Titans eyes on him. It was annoying him. Finally he spun around and faced them. "What! Don't you pathetic excuses for a life form have anything better to do then annoy me with your presence?" he demanded

"Robin! Watch your language. That was highly uncalled for." Raven told him. She was attempting to read his thoughts to find out what his problem was but she was getting nothing.

"Yeah man just because you had a bad night is no reason to take it out on us." Cyborg pointed out.

"Do I care what you think? I'm sick and tired of you four harassing me. All your concerns are driving me crazy. I'm not going to put up with it anymore. I'm the leader of this team and what I say or do is none of your concern. So I suggest that you back off." Slade ordered as he headed for the door.

Beast Boy transformed into an octopus and wrapped his tentacle around him. He deposited him on the couch and turned back into himself. He crossed his arm and stared him straight in the eye. "If you think were going to let you leave this room and go back to being obsessed and half mad then think again. I don't know what's got you acting so rude and nasty but it stops here and now."

"Yes please Robin. You are being unreasonable. The stress with dealing with Slade and being leader has obviously gotten to you. Not to mention your still not completely recovered from yesterdays accident. Let Cyborg and Raven check you over please and if they can find nothing wrong with you then will leave you alone for the rest of the day. I promise." Starfire said pleading.

Slade opened his mouth to tell them off but something stopped him. A thought struck him. Maybe he could figure out what was causing him to act so strange if he did let them examine him. Besides if they agreed to leave him alone he could work on his problem without interruption for the rest of the day. He play along for now. "Alright if it will make you happy. But you better keep your word."

Ten minutes later he was on an exam table with electrodes attached to his heads. Cyborg was monitoring his brainwave activity while Raven gave him a complete physical. Beast Boy and Starfire were watching anxiously. "Well what do the test say?" Beast Boy asked. All this medical stuff made his head hurt.

"Will know in a minute after I'm done running the tests. I want to compare some of Robin's test results with ones taken before he was injured just to see if there's any difference." Cyborg informed him.

Slade panicked for a second. What would happen if the test results didn't match? If the Titans figured out that he wasn't Robin he would have to kill them. Not that he wasn't planning to but he wasn't sure this body would allow it with it acting like it was. He had to remain calm. He think of something.

Raven looked up from her charts. "Well I'm pleased to report that you're in peak physical health. Surprising after being nearly electrocuted to death. Your still going to have to take it easy for a few days but otherwise your body is perfectly normal. Now your mind is another story."

"What do you mean? I feel fine. I admit I haven't been very corsual lately but I think that's understandable after what I've been through." Slade said smoothly.

"Dude your concussion is gone so you should be back to normal but your not. Can you tell me what Slade did you up on the roof because your brainwave patterns are a little off. Its almost like there trying to be rewritten." Cyborg said concerned.

That perked his interest. "My brainwaves are off? How can that be?" Slade asked innocently.

"Well I don't know but its almost like if you had a transplant. Your body is acting like its trying to accept someone else patterns as its own. But they're incompatible for the moment. Like if you gave an adult liver to a little kid it will take time for the new one to be accepted but in time it will work out or the person will die." Cyborg explained.

"Well Slade did attach something to my head. It was zapping my mind but then the transformer blew and the next thing I remember is waking up in the Tower. Look I have to go work on something in my study. See you later." Slade said hurriedly as he left the infirmary.

Starfire watched him go. She was greatly concerned for him. "Cyborg is he going to be okay? When will Robin be Robin again?"

"I don't know Starfire I really don't know. These strange brainwave patterns are a real puzzle. Whatever Slade did to him up on the roof might have permanent effects or they could disappear in a few days. All I know for sure is we have to keep an eye on him." Cyborg told her.

Not satisfied with that answer she went in search for her own. Robin's strange behavior was getting worse. First the nightmares, then all the robberies involving Slade, next the strange incident on the roof of GemTech that wasn't clear, and lastly his weird actions. She was going to find a way to help Robin in anyway she could.

She went inside Robin's room and was stunned by the amount of destruction in there. The teddy bear she had given Robin was lying on the floor beat up. She gingerly picked up and hugged it. "Robin. I don't know what's troubling you but I will help you." She then proceeded to clean up the room.

Meanwhile in Robin's study Slade was working furiously. He was comparing the data on the computer disk with notes on the MET with the information Cyborg had told him plus recordings of everything that had been happening to him for the past day. Finally after several hours of concentration he found his answer. He laughed out loud in sheer disbelief. The answer was so simple no wonder he overlooked it.

"I can't belief I didn't think of this sooner. I know that the accident has transferred my brainwave patterns not my soul into Robin's body. That's why this is different then when Star and Rae switched. The electric shock switched my conscience into this body while simutansly creating a blockage from certain areas that are guarded. But since not all of Robin's thoughts, emotions, or memories are so closely guarded I have access to them. This body is attempting to turn my adult mind into a teenagers. That's why there's such a conflict. I keep trying to act like an adult more precisely me. But I'm neither an adult nor me. I'm a kid and not just any kid I'm Robin. His youth is causing the change to happen much more rapidly to me then it will to him but not by much. The good news is I can still think and act like myself I just can't say who I really am. Once more the longer I stay in this body the more likely its going to become permanent. I must do something about this before I'm stuck in the child form. I don't want to have to grow up again. Still it would be nice to shape Robin in my image." Slade said thoughtfully to himself.

He glanced up at the clock and saw that it was nearly dinnertime. He was starving. He left the study intending to head to the main room to get something to eat when he someone called to him. "Robin? Will you come to my room please? I want to talk with you." Starfire said hesitantly.

"Sure Star. Do you have any food in there?" Slade asked as he entered her room. He entered her room and immediately was filled with strange desires. He realized that Robin must have wanted to be alone with Starfire for ages. He was a fool to fall in love. Still Slade had to admit that Starfire was pretty, smart, and above all caring.

He took a seat on the bed. Silky was sleeping on the bed but when he felt Slade sit down he let out a hiss and bit him on the hand. "Hey Silky stop it!"

"Silky stop. Bad Silky. I'm sorry Robin I don't know what's gotten into him. He usually loves you. Here some zorka berries. I hope you like them." Starfire said putting Silky on the floor and sitting down next to him. "Let me see that. Wow that's deep. Let me get the kit of aid and I'll fix it right up."

"Starfire you really don't have to do that. I'm sure that I just disturbed Silky nap. I'm not mad at all." Slade insisted and he wasn't. That creature had sensed the difference and alerted her to the danger. Yet she didn't realize it. He pitied her yet at the same time he felt sorry she didn't understand her pets concerns for her.

"Its no trouble Robin. Raven has been teaching me how to do first aid. There all done." Starfire said finishing tying the bandage.

"Thanks Star. So what did you want to talk about?" Slade asked eating the berries. They were actually quite good. He looked her straight in the eye and ran a hand through his hair out of habit.

"I saw what happened to your room. I knew that the nightmares were making you sick and a little crazy. Still I had no idea that you would tear apart your room or take your frustrations out on us. I know the others say that you will get better sooner or later, but right now your actions are causing you to lose the trust we have in you."

"I know Star its just I can't help it sometimes. I know that for weeks now I haven't been my usual self and the last day and half I have been a monster but that's all going to change. If you will help me figure out what's causing me to act like this and act like me then I'll be grateful." Slade told her.

"I can do that Robin. Together we will get through this and stop Slade once and for all." Starfire told him. She hugged him tightly and then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Slade looked at her stunned then without another word left the room and went to bed.

The next day Slade got out of bed feeling completely refreshed. It felt good to be sleeping in a bed again and eating food. It was also nice to know that he wasn't alone anymore. He was determined though to see the Titans at their best and what they did when they weren't crime fighting. It was time to schedule some training.

That morning he had everyone run the obstacle course and he added a few tricks of his own. The first on the obstacle course was Beast Boy. He set the course at maximum and let it rip. Beast Boy did well during the first few obstacles but that's when Slade's trap sprang. Beast Boy had been using his ram form to bust through the steel walls when shackles sprang from the ground grabbing BB and holding him down to the ground. He struggled to get out of them but the more he fought the tighter they held till he nearly lost circulation in the legs. Finally he was forced to revert to human form to slip out. "Dude what was that for! That wasn't in the simulation last time!" Beast Boy complained.

Slade gave him a grin. "We have to be prepared for anything BB. If you can't handle a little surprise then maybe you shouldn't be doing this course. Now would you like to do it again?" BB nodded and started again. This time he beat the trap.

Later in the training room he messed with the controls to Cyborg workout machine so that instead of gradually adding weight it dropped it all on him at once. It squashed him like a bug, but then he shoved straight back into the wall. "Impressive Cy. Next time I'll have be more clever."

"Next time I'll be ready for you. Are we still on for hoops later?"

"Count on it. I'm going to beat the pants off of you. Now I have to go see Raven. She's going to teach me some of those emotional control techniques she offered to teach me." Slade said heading for the forbidden room of Raven's. He would have to be careful in testing her.

Raven was sitting in the dark meditating when he entered. Levitating above the ground she used her telekinesis to lift the candles off the ground and caused them to circle around her before setting them back down. "Your late."

"Sorry couldn't be helped. Now what were you going to teach me? Will it really help me against Slade?" Slade asked. He wanted to know if there was a way to block his influences.

"Patience Robin. In order to control your obsession over Slade you must first master your emotions. They dictate your life and are the basis of all your decisions. Once you have control over them they will no longer hinder you and you will be able to think clearly. The darker parts of your mind and emotions such as lust, desire, and anger will no longer tell you what to do and how to leave your life." Raven instructed him.

She gestured for him to sit down on the floor and assume a meditation position. "Clear your mind of any thoughts and find your center. Take a deep breath and focus on your emotions. Let them flow through your body. Now I'm going to link minds with you and try to assist in keeping your darker tendencies in check. Now don't be scared."

Slade let down his mental shields. He was ready for her. Over the past several years he had practice several techniques to protect himself against telepaths and he was wondering if he could project his own thoughts into her mind. The moment he felt Raven enter his mind he lashed out with his mind. He overwhelmed her mind with memories from his own past.

Raven's mind was instantly overwhelmed by the flood of memories. It was chaotic and everything was jumbled together. It was too much to her and she crashed to the ground. Slade was on her in a second concern etched across his face. "Raven! Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm all right really. Your thoughts just overwhelmed me for a second. I didn't realize your nightmares were so dark and grim. They must really be haunting you if you can remember the details so clearly. Why don't we try this again?" Raven suggested. Just then the alarm went off bathing them both in red light.

"I guess our little session will have to wait. There's trouble. Lets go!" Slade ordered. They both hurried out of her room and to the garage. Five minutes later the T car was zooming down the streets heading for downtown.

People were running around screaming their heads off. All around them the streets were transforming into animals and other magical act props. In the middle of the street Mumbo Jumbo was waving his magic wand around grinning. "Why are you all running away? Stay and watch the show of a lifetime. Jump City turned into my own personal magical world! It will be the greatest show on Earth!" That's when a birdarang whirled right past his face cutting a deep gash on his cheeks. He whirled around to come face to face with his most hated foes. The Teen Titans.

"The only show your going to be performing is surrendering yourself to the police and turning everything back to normal. Give it up Mumbo before we have to make you." Slade warned him. He was really getting into the role of a hero. He was still feared by people and adored by others. Not to mention he would get a great work out kicking this second rate magicians butt. What was it that Red X had said to Robin after he asked, "I thought you didn't like to play the hero." His answer was "Doesn't mean I don't know how."

"I've been waiting for you Titans. You're not going to beat me with your tricks this time. Abracadabra!" Mumbo shouted shooting a stream of pink sparks at him. The Titans jumped out of the way. "Titans Go!" Slade shouted. Man that felt good.

Cyborg led the charge. Shooting his sonic cannon at full power at Mumbo. "Take this you crazy magician. No way am I ending up in a tutu again."

Mumbo twirled his wand around and said "Vani Vani Vitchie!" In a puff of smoke a mirror appeared and he used it to reflect the shot right back at Cyborg. It sent the mechanical teen soaring halfway down the street.

Beast Boy had morphed into a tiger and was running at top speeds mouth wide open at Mumbo. "Please your making this to easy. Trapa!" Instantly a metal cage appeared around BB trapping him inside. "You shouldn't have picked a classical animal used in magic tricks." He informed him.

That's when a street lamp, mailbox, and of course a car came hurling at him. Using his hands he stopped them in mid flight turning them into doves. He looked up to see Raven getting ready to use her magical chant against him. "Ah if it isn't my former lovely assistant. I must say I liked you better as a rabbit."

"Very funny Mumbo. Here's a trick of my own. Azerath Metrion Zinthos!" she chanted her eyes glowing. Mumbo hat turned black and engulfed him. "Lets see you get out of that one. What?"

The hat sank to the ground till there was nothing there. Then it attacked Raven draining her powers from her. She fell from the sky landing on top of a parked car. The hat then returned to Mumbo who had magically reappeared. "I seem to have learned some new tricks." He boasted before he had to dodge several starbolts.

"You have hurt my friends with your mumbo jumbo. Now its time to show you what I can do with my powers." Starfire told him. Her eyes lit up and she shot her eye beams full blast at him. She then landed and picked up a bus hurling it at him. "Take that!"

Mumbo had to think fast on his feet if he wanted to avoid being turned into a pancake. Doing some fancy handsprings he avoid the eye beams then he whipped a curtain out of his pocket and threw it on top of the bus causing it to vanish in thin air. "That wasn't very nice. I think you need to be taught a lesson." With a wave of his wand Starfire was strapped down on bed with a bed of spikes hurling down upon her. "Say good night."

"Nooooo! Robin help me!" Starfire screamed

Slade reacted so quickly you swear he moved as fast as light. He fired a line at the building above Starfire and swung on top of the spike bed. He threw a freezing disk on top of the spike bed causing them to halt inches from Starfire's body. He ripped her restraints off. "Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded her head. She was a little shaken up but otherwise fine.

Slade turned around anger etched across his face. Mumbo had made a mockery of his team and worse he had threatened the life of someone he was beginning to have feelings for. It was strange to admit but it wasn't just Robin's feelings for Starfire driving him, but his own. He was starting to fall in love with her.

"You're going to pay Mumbo. No one hurts my team and gets away with it. Hiyah!" Slade shouted. He used a combination of martial arts moves and his weapons to take out Mumbo finally knocking him out with his bo staff and snapping his wand in half. He grabbed Mumbo by his shirt and drew him to his face and whispered in his ear. "I'm tempted to kill you for nearly impaling my girlfriend, but I'm in a good mood. But if you ever try to harm her or my friends again nothing will save you from my wraith got it."

Mumbo nodded his head. He didn't like the look in the Boy Wonder's eyes. He really meant what he said. By the time the police came to pick him up he was begging to go to his cell.

Slade turned to face his team. Everyone was okay and no one was seriously hurt. He saw that they were near the park and that gave him chance to judge them in their natural envierment. "Hey you guys want to go to the park and relax. After what we've just been through I think we deserve a break don't you?"

"Yeah! I have all the food essentials packed into the back of the T car. Lets go!" Cyborg said and they all got back in the car and drove to the park for an afternoon of fun.

A short time later the Titans were having a picnic in the park. Cyborg was devouring a huge rib while Beast Boy shoveled four tofu dogs down his throat at a time. Even Raven was getting into this having some herbal tea and a salad. Slade was enjoying a hamburger for the first time in ages while Starfire happily slurped some mustard. "I must admit Robin this was a great idea. Relaxing and having a fun time in the park was such a great idea." She told him.

"Yeah maybe a little later we can play some football! Me against the rest of you and this time Raven has to play." Cyborg said.

"Don't even think about. I hate sports. You force me to play and I make it so you can't sit down for a week." Raven warned him.

"That would be something to see." Beast Boy joked.

Slade gave them a sly grin. He had something else in store for them. It was hidden in the T car trunk. It was something he had wanted to try when he was a teenager but never had the chance. Now he did. "I have a better idea. Come on guys follow me."

They followed him over to the car where popped the trunk and handed each one of them a set of safety gear and a helmet. They looked down at the gear as if they didn't know what it was. Then back at Robin. He pulled out five pairs of inline roller blades each specially designed for them. "Come on lets really have some fun. I ordered these a while back and I've been saving them for a surprise. Strap on your gear and meet me in the skate park," Slade told them strapping on his gear and zooming off past them at breakneck speeds.

The rest of the Titans looked at one another in disbelief. Their leader, Mr. I have no time for fun wanted to go bladeing? Well who where they to argue. Quickly the put on their gear and skated after him. "Yo Robin wait up man. Not all of us have skated before."

Slade was already grinding the rails when they found him. He may have never skated before, but Robin had. Using that knowledge and combining his own skills he was quite the blader. He zipped down the half pipe and did a knee grab in mid air. "Come on guys! Its fun."

Cyborg and Beast Boy didn't any more encouragement. Both dropped in and started busting out some moves. Beast Boy was clumsy and kept tripping over his own two feet. Cyborg with his mechanical parts was a little off balance but he did manage to have some fun.

Starfire looked uncertainly down at the skating area. She had never skated before. She turned to Raven who looked both bored and a little apprehensive at the same time. "Raven may I ask a question? Have you ever done this blading before?"

"No Star I haven't. We don't have this sport in Azerath and I've never had a reason before to do something so ridiculously stupid and crazy. But if it makes Robin happy and keeps him sane I'm willing to risk a broken leg. Besides if I do break something I can heal myself." Raven said with false confidence. Without another thought she plunged down into down the ramp and started to skate. After a few minutes she got the hang of it and began to do some fancy moves.

"What's the matter boys? Upset that a girl is better at this than you? Come on I'll teach you how to really bust a move." Raven said to the boys. They were surprised by her change in personality but they weren't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. They got to their feet and followed her.

Starfire took a deep breath and skated down the rim of the park and tried her best to stay on her feet. Unfortunately she wasn't able to balance and fell on her butt and scrapped her knee. Slade skated over to her and helped her up. "You okay? That was a nasty fall you took."

"I don't know how to do this skating thing. I can't keep on my feet. They keep shooting out from under me. Perhaps you can teach me how to skate?" Starfire asked holding on to him for support.

Slade offered his hand to her. He placed the other around her back to support her. "Follow my lead. I'll help you. Shift your weight till its equal on both feet. Glide your foot in front of you a little bit at a time. See your doing it. Now next hold your arms out for a little to help your balance. Now I'll lead you around for a bit." Slade told her gently instructing her.

Starfire followed all his instructions and soon she was skating figure eights around him and twirling around on one foot. "Oh Robin this is so much fun! I never thought when I came to this planet I would have so much fun learning things like this. Come on lets go skating down the sidewalks!"

Slade grinned and both of them went on a little stroll down the sidewalk holding hands. Both Starfire and Slade were having fun. They were both just two teens on a date. Slade hadn't felt like this since he was with Addie and his family. Looking at Starfire he saw that she was a lot like Addie. She was brave, fierce, and had nerves of steel. Yet she was also gentle, understanding, and always there for you. By the time they headed back to Titans Tower Slade was feeling happy for the first time in a long time.

The rest of the week was like that. At night he would spend hours trying to figure out ways to get back to his body. He had a criminal empire to get back to. He wanted to be immortal again. He wanted his powers back and Robin serving him. But during the days he was feeling happy for the first time in years. He was no longer alone. He had friends and didn't have to worry about his empire or concentrate on destroying the city. He could relax, have something to eat, even sleep in a bed. He enjoyed working out becoming stronger and better all the time. He liked taking out bad guys because it proved that he was better then them. But his favorite moments were when he was with Starfire. He didn't even try to deny that he was in love with her. It wasn't just Robin's feelings for the Tameranian they were his to. He enjoyed giving her gifts, talking with her, and best of all watching the sunrise together.

It was late afternoon at the end of Slade's first week as Robin. It had been an eventful afternoon. Slade was drinking a soda and listening to music while the rest of his team lounged around. Starfire was sitting next to him drinking a jar of mustard her hand on his. She looked beautiful wearing the diamond studded star earrings he gave her. Sometimes it helped to have access to unlimited funds. "I'm glad that you like them. They really bring out the color your eyes."

"Yes they are beautiful. It was very thoughtful of you to give them to me. You are always such a selfless being. You always seem to know how to cheer me up. Like on Tameran when I was in my room dreading my marriage to that thing. You knew just what to do remember?"

Slade froze for a moment. That was one of the gaps in his no Robin's memories. He didn't have a clue what she was talking about. But he pretended he did. "Yeah I am pretty amazing. I would do anything for you Starfire. As long as I'm here no harm will come to you or our friends."

"That's good to hear man. It sounds like whatever happened to you earlier this week has worn off. Your back to yourself, which is good." Cyborg said slapping Slade on the back.

"Yeah maybe now with you're near brush with death and your new found respect for life you'll stop chasing after Slade and start concentrating on other important matters. Like us and the rest of the city." Beast Boy told him for once serious.

"You've made real progress with our sessions. You're not having those nightmares anymore and your able to shield your mind from your darker thoughts. In the past week you've changed. Your still a little more aggressive then usual and you still have a tendency to lose your temper, but otherwise your normal." Raven told him giving him a small smile.

"Yes Robin. Your finally back to your old self. The way you were before all this business with Slade started. Can you promise us that you won't go back to your obsession over him? That you will work with us and talk with us if you have any problems? If not for your sake will you do it for ours? I don't want you to have a relapse." Starfire said her eyes full of worry.

Slade looked at each of them. His mind was buzzing with activity. He thought over his situation. He wasn't making much progress in figuring out how to get him back in his body and if he had to be honest with himself he really didn't want to go back to his old life. Sure he missed his powers, his immortality, and his empire, but there were other things to consider. He was young again and could train his new body to become perfect. If he wanted to become immortal again he knew how. He had friends, fun, and a life now. He wasn't lonely anymore and for the first time in a long time he had someone to share life with. He liked being a hero. His decision was a simple one.

"You guys have my word. I promise never to go after Slade again without your help and I'll spend more time with you. If I ever have any problems I'll tell you. The Teen Titans are a team and I for one am grateful for that." Slade said holding out his hand and each of them placed their hands on top of it sealing the deal. As they left the room Slade smiled. He had broken all ties with his old life. No longer was he Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke the Terminator. He was Robin Boy Wonder.


	4. Villian

Robin read the printout of the parts he would need to rebuild the portable MET. These parts were very specific and specially designed. There was no legal way he could get his hands on to them. If he wanted to get back into his own body as fast as possible he would have to steal them. Something that he desperately didn't want to do, but yet his entire body filled with excitement at the prospect of stealing.

"I need to avoid detection by both the police and the Titans. There's no way they would believe what happen to me without proof. No, I have to do this Slade's way. Lets see the first thing I need is to get some top quality miniature circuitry. It has to be able to handle huge amounts of energy and transmit neural patterns. Where am I going to get that?" Robin muttered to himself.

He scanned the huge database with incredible speed taking in information and processing it at inhuman speeds. He only needed to devote a small part of his mind to locating the equipment. The rest of his mind was busy trying to devise a way to increase the portable MET power and prevent any further accidents. Finally his computer screen displayed the information he was looking for.

"Hmm. LexCorp has just recently developed a new circuitry that can handle the job and it has a new feature. The circuits can do self-diagnostics and repair damage while at the same time diverting the power flow to undamaged circuits. Oh and what's this that Luther's R&D scientist have created? An inhibitor chip that has multiple purpose including being used to protect brainwave patterns when they're being transmitted. I can use that for my machine and maybe I'll use it for more sinister. I think I'll help myself to that. Now how to get it?" Robin said eyeing the screen.

"The circuits are kept in the warehouse district but the inhibitor chip is in a high security vault in LexCorp research facility which is on the other side of town. Hmm if I'm going to pull this one over I'll need to higher some help. Computer get me the Hive Academy on the line." Robin ordered taking a seat in his no Slade's throne.

For a few minutes the screen was blank then the screen lit up and the Headmistress appeared on the screen. When she saw who was calling she began to sweat. "Mr. Mr. Slade. I didn't expect to hear from you again. Not after our last encounter." She said nervously.

A memory of torturing the women after her operatives failed him then personally handpicking her successor Brother Blood to train the Hive students incase he needed some higher help flashed through his mind. Before he could stop himself he smiled behind his mask and let out a small chuckle. "Yes our last encounter wasn't very pleasant for you. However I do require your services again and I hope that I still can count on your assistance. If it's not to much trouble I would like it if I could borrow Mammoth, Jinx, and Gizmo from you please." Robin tried to say pleasantly.

"Are you feeling okay sir? I mean you've never acted like this before in my memory of our relationship." The Headmistress said quietly.

Robin kicked himself mentally. What was he thinking acting nice to a woman who trained kids to be villains? The part of his mind that was Slade was full of rage. No one talked back to him. "Don't question me! If you have any problem with me then I suggest you ask yourself how much you want to keep on living! Send me the three now!" he said before cutting off the connection.

Half an hour later the trio of Hive agents arrived. They kept glancing at the exit trying to see how much distance they had to cover in case they had to make a quick escape. "What's the job Slade? Does it involve taking out those piff sniffing snots the Titans?" Gizmo asked rubbing his hands hopefully.

Robin gave the little demented kid a good sharp kick in the butt. He didn't tolerate that kind of talk in his presence. He commanded respect. "Show some respect Gizmo. I only asked for your assistance because I require your unique talents. I need you to break into a LexCorp warehouse and steal ten crates of advance circuitry and bring it back here. Don't damage any of it! I'll lend you some of my robots to assist you. Do this as quick and quietly as possible. I don't need the Titans to ruin my plans again. Now get going!"

When they left Robin started taking deep long breaths. What was going on? He was still acting like himself but certain criminal traits were starting to emerge. One thing was for sure he would get over his guilt about stealing once he was back in his own body. After all it wasn't him stealing it was Slade he insisted to himself.

He sent some more robots out to steal the inhibitor chip while he monitored the Hives progress. For once they weren't making any stupid mistakes. Gizmos used his pack to open the doors, Jinx hexed the cameras destroying them, and Mammoth used his super strength to carry several boxes of the stuff. When the police showed up his no Slade's robots knocked them out. They returned a few minutes later with the circuitry and left him alone with it and the newly acquired inhibitor chip.

"I can work on this later. Right now I feel like working off some of this stress. Lets see what this body can do." Robin said. He used Slade's memory to locate the workout room in the lair and decide to start out with some simple martial arts moves and work his way up.

Robin began his basics and then quickly got into much more complex moves. The power, the strength, and the agility it was more than he could imagine. He didn't feel tired or any pain. Everything was so easy there was no effort. He discovered his immortality quite by accident. He was doing a triple front flip and accidentally landed on his bo staff impaling himself. But instead of dieing he merely pulled it out and stared at the wound watching it heal. "Wow. Slade's immortal? No wonder he never gets tired!"

"But how did I he get like this? Of course my nightmare, in it he was being experimented on. His super intelligence, his heightened fighting abilities, his immortality must be a result of it. But that doesn't explain why he became a criminal. I got to learn more about Slade's past. But if what will happen if I dig into his past? Will I become more like him?"

To distract himself from that train of thoughts he started inserting the new circuitry inside the new MET casing. He would need the computer boards to program the machine and create a link between those two things and the neural interface. He still needed the transmitter array, crystal emitter, power pack, and fix the headbands. There was so much to do to do and he had to make sure that he could recreate the accident without causing harming anyone. He couldn't risk losing his only chance to be returned to his body.

It took him all night to insert the circuits in the right place and figure out where to position the inhibitor chip. He then set out on creating some new neural headbands making sure that everything was in the right place stealing parts from the original one so that he could create the proper link.

He decided to test the neural headband out and to see if he could get inside Slade's mind while he was in his body. It was around midnight when he initiated the MET. Placing the headband on his head he concentrated hard thinking about his life. But Slade's memories were getting mixed into his thoughts. He couldn't control the flow of images so he cut the connection.

"Best not try that again. At least not until I've perfected it so I don't get affected by the memory backlash. Slade's mind is full of pain and horrors. The strange thing is I can't tell if those are because he caused them or they were done to him." Robin whispered.

He needed to take a break. He looked around for a place to crash and was annoyed there wasn't any. Being an immortal may be cool but it has some definite downsides. What was he suppose to do to relax?

Staring at the original MET he got an idea. He could spy on the Titans! Eager to see what his enemies no friends where up to he quickly typed in the right code and the screens instantly showed him the sleeping Titans. What he saw disgusted him greatly.

Beast Boy was halfway out of his bunk bed drooling. Turning up the volume he could just make out what he was saying. "No need to swarm me ladies. You'll all get a piece of Beast Boy, Jump City's greatest hero!" Robin rolled his eye and focused on Cyborg.

Cyborg was sleeping peacefully recharging himself after an action packed filled day. His systems should be back to full power in a few more hours. By the look on his face he was dreaming of a huge meaty breakfast. Shaking his head he muttered, "How pathetic. His newly upgraded security system has failed him and even when he's connected to it during his recharge he has no idea I'm hacking his systems. What a big disappointment. Lets see what the girls are up to."

With a tap of the keys he zoomed in on the image of Raven who was sleeping peacefully. Her cloak hung on her vanity and she was snoring softly. A quick assessment of her room showed that she was prepared incase of another surprise attack by his (Slade's!) robots. He smirked underneath his mask pleased to see at least one member of the Titans wasn't a complete idiot.

His heart pounded in his chest as he brought up the image of Starfire's room. He desperately wanted to see the girl he loved with all his heart. When he looked at her bed he didn't see her. He changed the angle of the camera and ran scans but she wasn't in her room. Uneasiness filled him and he quickly manipulated the cameras till he was viewing his bedroom. What he saw stopped his heart.

Starfire was sitting on his bed holding Slade's hand in hers trying to comfort him. She was talking to softly for him to hear. Slade looked positively frighten. He was very flushed and sweat dripped down his face. He looked like he had just woken up from a nightmare. Starfire handed Slade a teddy bear dressed in his uniform and left the room. Slade snuggled close to the teddy bear and went to sleep.

Robin let out a growl of anger and slammed his fist down hard on the computer counsel breaking the connection between him and Titans Tower. "How dare he! He shouldn't be allowed in the same building as Starfire let alone in the same room being comforted by her. How could Starfire fall for his act? There's no way Slade could ever act like me! And what is with my apprentice getting close to the young alien princess and sleeping with toys. How childish that is. I'll have to beat him for that one. What am I saying? Why am I acting like this? I got to find out now. Computer, hack into the Titans Mainframe and download any information on this incident and search for all possible side effects of the MET. Tell me why I would be acting like Slade and him me. Begin now."

Robin went back to working on the portable MET. He printed out a list of where he would get the replacement parts, building more robots to replace the damaged ones, and working out. By the afternoon of the second day in Slade's body he found out the same thing Slade did about why they were changing. It was just taking longer because he was in an adult body.

Determined to get back in his own body before he got to comfortable in Slade's body he sent out his robots to steal the computer boards he needed and decided to learn more about Slade's past. Much of Slade's mind was hidden from him. At least the part of who he was before he became a psychopath trying to destroy the city and control him. He had already tried removing the mask and found that he couldn't so he still didn't know what he looked like under the mask and it was making him mad.

The answers to all his questions were on the computer in protected files. He needed the proper access code to unlock the files and he hadn't been able to think of it yet. But he was getting close. He could feel it. "This isn't that hard! The code must be something that only Slade knows yet would be easy to remember but what? I've tried everything I can think of and none of my hacking tricks work. I'm the greatest criminal mastermind in the world. I was the top assassin for higher for years. I have gone up against the Justice League, Teen Titans, and survived the experimental government test to create an immortal being. Surely I can figure this code out! Immortal that's it. He created an eternity code so the password must be eternity. Yes I'm in!"

"Let's see. This one labeled Journal. Let's see. The last entry was dated the day before the switch. Everything is going according to my plan. Robin is surviving the nightmarish memories I'm sending him. He doesn't realize that while he fights to conquer my memories he is making it easy for me to reshape his mind. He is slowly turning into the perfect apprentice. One who is completely loyal to me and devoid of all morals. His body is also changing as well. I can see it when I observe the Titans. He is becoming more obsessive, filled with more anger and hatred. Soon he will be mind. Talk about being self-deluded. Slade is really full of himself." Robin muttered not at all impressed. He thought he would be dealing with a more morbid side of Slade.

He found another entry this one was from the time he became Slade's apprentice. That memory still tormented him. He had never felt so powerless before. What kind of sick joy had Slade gotten out of it? "Tonight I accomplished my goal. After months of careful planning and testing I have captured Robin. The Boy Wonder is the perfect person to follow in my footsteps and rule beside me. He is smart, young, and relies on his own physical talent to survive. Even though in the past he has let others hold him back such as his mentor Batman and his team Robin has proven that he is willing to do anything to get the job done. Something the hero world frowns upon when it comes to keeping secrets from friends. He is my other half. He is vicious, dishonorable, and ruthless like me. He is so much like me I often wondered if he ever met my sons. Grant and Joseph would have loved Robin and so would Rose. Yet I mustn't dwindle on the past. Not when I have a new heir. Soon the world will fear Robin."

"Grant? Joseph? Rose? Who are they and why does he compare them to me? I wonder if there in this file listed Family. Lets see here we go. Whoa who is she?" Robin whispered as he gazed longly at a photo of a tall dark hair and eyed women in military garb. She was talking to a man who could have been an older version of him if his features where a little darker. When he looked at her he was filled with intense feelings of desire and love. He also feared and respected this woman. He had to know more about her.

There where hundreds of photo's, love letters, and other mementoes stored on the computer. Each one told a story. It took him the rest of the day and most of the night but he finally put all the puzzle pieces together and what he learned shocked him. His own research had revealed some of the facts but not all of it.

Slade had enlisted in the army at an early age and had become friends with a man named Wintergreen and a woman named Addie Kane. The three of them were the strongest, fastest, smartest people in their unit. No one messed with them. They had each been selected to take part in a secret government experiment. Slade was the first one of the three to go through the process. Others had died before him, but he was the sole survivor and the experiment had greatly changed him. He had gained new fantastic powers and the first thing he did with them was use them to get rid of the men and women who had done this to him. He had then disappeared with Wintergreen who remained with him at all times.

Addie had tailed them watching to see what they did trying to learn what had happened to him. At first they did nothing but soon the criminal underground feared the name of Deathstroke the Terminator, a notorious hitman for higher. Addie didn't know it was Slade. All she knew is he was courting her and she wasn't making it easy for him. She wanted a husband who could match her wit and wouldn't hesitate to fight for what he believed in. Slade was also looking for a woman he could view as his equal. They found each other and where soon married. They were blessed with two sons. Grant who resembled his mother and Joseph who resembled Slade with lighter features. They where a happy family for a while but that soon changed.

Addie didn't know about Slade's underground life. His life as Deathstroke took up a lot of his time so he grew distant from his family. He tried to be a good husband and quit but he was hooked on the thrill of it all. Then the unthinkable happened.

A relative to one of the persons he had terminated had figured out who he really was. He took his revenge by kidnapping Grant and threatening to kill him. Slade went after him and succeeded in saving Grant's life and disposing of the man, but there was a price to pay.

Addie was infuriated that Slade would become a mercenary. That he would put their lives in such danger. He tried to calm her down and explain his position but she wouldn't hear of it. She took a gun and shot his eye out. When she discovered that he was immortal she freaked out. She gathered their sons and left.

Slade was alone so he hooked up with Wintergreen again to try to ease his pain. He left the states and headed for the Oriental desperate to find a way to forget his troubles. He spent many years there and it was here that he met the second love of his life. A woman named Lilly. She was his lover and helped ease the sadness in his. She was a great comfort to him when he learned that Addie, Grant, and Joseph were dead.

Lilly gave birth to a daughter named Rose. He spent some time with her trying to relive the days but it wasn't meant to be. It seemed his life was meant to be nothing but pain and sorrows. He lost both Rose, Lilly, and even his friendship with Wintergreen became strained.

He was filled with rage, anger, and hatred. He was going to make the world pay for his pain. He used his powers to build himself a vast criminal network and was intent on ruling the world. Never again would he let emotions like love and happiness control him. He would live alone forever.

But something's are impossible to do. Slade became bored and lonely with his immortal existence. He wished to share his power with someone because his empire was so big it was getting hard to control by himself. Also he yearned for companship. So he began his search for an apprentice.

For many years he searched for someone who was strong enough to one day survive to survive the process into becoming immortal. The child would have to be partially trained and smart. So many other requirements were to be filled but he soon selected Robin and tried to capture him. He succeeds and failed for the first time in life so now he was intent on recapturing him. So that was his life.

Robin stared dumbfounded at the computer screen. He was still trying to make sense of what he read. He had never in a million years expected this. Slade had once had a family and friends? This had to be a lie. There was no way any of this was true yet he knew deep down it was. "Forget this. It doesn't matter what mine _his_ past was. It is of no consequences right now in the present. If I am to have any chance at a normal future I must complete construction on this device. The only way the MET is going to be fully functional by the end of this week is if I get involved with the game. Now things are getting interesting."

He prepared himself for the task of stealing the miniature high-powered transmitter array. He needed it in order to transmit his neural patterns from one interface to another. This time he was going to steal one that didn't have such a tendency to cause feedbacks and was more compatible with the rest of his stolen equipment. He chose to steal from Wayne Enterprises because he knew their system inside and out. Nothing and no one would stop him.

That night he waited on the ledge of the roof across the building bidding his time for the right moment to strike. Security had been upgraded considerably since the last time someone broke in and attempted to steal something. That had been him and the Titans had rudely interrupted him. This time he was going to make sure nothing prevented him from acquiring the item his prize.

He leapt across the street landing silently on the roof of the Wayne Enterprise building. He slid open a secret panel in the panel and dropped down into the secret passages that ran all over the building. Following the pipes he came to a stretch of wall that ran just outside the vault. Pressing on a concealed button the wall open. From there it was a simple matter of using his weapons to disable all the alarms, put the cameras in a loop, and stroll right into the vault and pluck the transmitter array from its casing. "This was to easy. I need a bigger thrill." He said to himself as he turned to leave.

"Freeze! You're under arrest for trespassing, breaking and entering, and burglary. Surrender now!" ordered the head of security as his team of commandos surrounded him. Each had blaster aimed directly at his chest and the safeties were off.

Robin gave a long harsh laugh. "Fools. Do you really think you can stop me? Your welcome to try but I guarantee that it will be the last thing you ever do in your pathetic little lives." He took out his bo staff and crouched into his battle stance ready for action.

One minute everyone just stood there frozen to the spot. No one was sure what to do. The guards had never run up against an intruder asking for a fight. Who was this guy? Didn't matter he was toast. Cocking their guns they began shooting full force.

Robin was fast moving blur. He reacted as lighting speeds and attack fast and hard showing no mercy. He whirled his staff around cracking skulls and spreading panic and fear all around. Using his super strength he crushed his opponents weapons, bloodied them up, and left them for dead. He was about to kill the head of security when his conscience snapped back into place. He looked around in horror at the pain and destruction he caused and was stunned by what he was about to do. He dropped the man in terror and ran away as fast as he could.

When he got back to the lair he set down his prize gently before he started throwing a fit of rage. He tore out computer councils, threw robots around, and broke several pieces of irreplaceable equipment.

"How? How could I almost cross the line and kill someone in cold blood. What's worse is how could I do it without a thought or a care? I can't possibly be enjoying this? I'm nothing like Slade! I would never enjoy causing pain to others. I'm not a psychopath! Yet look at me. I'm hooked on the thrill of evil, I'm fighting dirty, and I'm starting to love this life. The power, the wealth, and the fear it inspires. I'm losing myself to my darker impulses. Soon I will cross a line I can't cross. I don't want that to happen. I need to get back to my body before I start wishing I could stay in this one forever."

The rest of the week was a blur of activity. Robin stole the rest of the stuff he needed and worked on trying to make the device safe and prevent this situation from happening again. He kept an eye on his friends and Slade and what he saw continued to rival him up. He hated watching Slade have fun with his friends while he was stuck all alone and miserable. What was worse is the madder he got the quicker he succumbed to Slade's desires.

Finally the portable MET was finished. He ran every simulation to make sure that it would return his brainwave patterns back to his body and prevent him from losing any memories during the transfer. There was slight chance the whole thing could blow up in his face and kill him, but that was a risk he was willing to take. Now all he had to do was get Slade to wear one of the neural interface headbands, which wasn't going to happen. Sighing loudly Robin knew there was only one way he was going to accomplish this job. He would need help from the one person he trusted above all us. Starfire.


	5. Confessions

It was the morning after Slade had decided that he was content to live his life out as Robin. He had spent an hour last night writing in the Boy Wonders journal about his plans for his new life as well as read up on everything he could find on him. If he was going to be Robin forever he wanted to make sure he made no mistakes.

Slade was humming a merrily tune as he walked down the halls of the Tower for breakfast. Entering the main room he breathed in deeply and smiled at the sight of Starfire preparing her first normal earth breakfast of pancakes and freshly squeezed orange juice. Raven was helping her cook it. Cyborg had bought some doughnuts and Beast Boy had set the table. Silky was wearing a ribbon around his neck eating his breakfast of Tameranian food. They turned towards the door shocked to see him.

"Robin! We didn't expect you up for another hour. We wanted to surprise you. You have made such a great recovery in a short amount of time and you have been so nice to us we thought you deserved something special. So we have been planning this special breakfast just for you. Do you like it?" Starfire asked her eyes full of hope.

"Guys I don't know what to say. I'm speechless. Thank you, thank you so much." Slade said.

"I know one thing you could say. Lets dig in!" Beast Boy shouted tossing confetti all over him. Laughing heartily he plucked himself down and began devouring his share of the doughnuts.

"Come on Robin take a load of your feet. For one morning lets forget everything. Training, crime fighting, and saving the city from dangerous perilous. Lets just be regular teenagers having the best times of our life." Cyborg said escorting him to his seat.

He sat down between the girls and began to eat his breakfast surprise. The pancakes were awesome and the orange juice tasted great. He especially loved the doughnuts, which were a real treat. "This is the best breakfast I've ever had. You both did a real good job preparing it."

"Thank you Robin. Raven was the one who suggested that we do this in the first place. After all your sessions with her have helped you greatly and you have become a far more effective leader because of her teachings." Starfire said politely.

Turning to face Raven he saw her blush slightly. "Its no big deal. You helped me when I was going through hard times dealing with my father. You taught me there's always hope and that friendship is a great thing to have. So I thought I return the favor. Do you want to play a game of chess a little later?"

"Sure Rae. I love to. I bet I can beat you in six moves." Slade slyly told her. He was a great chess player and he was dieing to match wits with her.

The rest of the morning was spent playing volleyball on the roof. Then they went to the movies and had a blast. Upon returning home Slade and Raven sat down to their chess game. Cyborg and Beast Boy cheered Raven on while Starfire cheered for Slade. It was an intense match both players equally matched. Raven seemed to know every trick in the book, but Slade finally took a gambit and won the game. "Good game Raven. You did well. I guess I just got lucky."

"Luck had nothing to do with it. You played better then you've ever played before. Your game was a little different then usual and that's how you beat me. Congratulations. If you excuse me I have to go mediate." Raven said disappearing.

"Yeah and Beast Boy and I have to go work on the T ship. She's running a little sluggish and I want to run some test on it. Let's go BB." Cyborg said heading down to the hanger.

"Well I guess that leaves just you and me. Do you have anything you want to do right now?" Slade asked.

"Well it is time for me to give Silky his bath. Would you like to help me?" Starfire inquired picking up her pet and cuddling him close to her chest.

Slade looked at the little maggot with disgust in his eyes. He had tried all week to get along with Silky but Silky seemed to hate him. It was like he knew he wasn't the real Robin and was determined to protect his "mother" from harms way.

Starfire ran the bath water and got the sponge while Slade put in the bubble bath. Starfire dipped her soapy sponge into the water and began to scrub hard. "Now hold still Silky. This won't take that long. Why don't you play with your rubber ducky?" she said merrily handing him the toy to chew on.

Silky chewed contently on his toy and began to splash around causing the bubbly water to spill all over Starfire and Slade. "Silky stop it. You're ruining my cape." Slade laughed as a particuly large load of bubbles landed on his head.

Starfire giggled at the funny sight. Slade laughed and threw bubbles at her. With in moments the entire bathroom was covered in purple bubble bath mix and Silky was chewing on Slade cape while Starfire had the duck in her mouth. Gasping for breakfast they quickly cleaned the bathroom up and returned to her bedroom. "That was a most pleasant experience. Usually I wash my little bungorff with my tongue like we do on my home planet, but today I wanted to give him a proper Earth bath."

"Well I recommend that you stop licking him clean because that's not very hygienic. Still you're pretty amazing. I mean I don't think I could keep a maggot like larva for a pet. You make Silky seem like a cute little dog or cat." Slade said as he set up Silky's bed. With in minutes the little monstrously was asleep.

"Shh. I don't want to wake him. Let's go to your room to continue this conversation." Starfire whispered as they left the room. They walked down the hall to Robin's room. Slade opened the door to his room and gestured for her to come in. "I took the liberty of preparing something special last night. I hope you like it."

Starfire gasped as her eyes widened in amazement. There was a table for two set up in the middle of the room with candles and fine china. The food smelled delicious. She looked at Slade in wonder? "What is all this?"

"It's late lunch early dinner for two romantics. I thought I treat you to a home cooked meal. It took me most of last night to make, but I assure you it's the best. Please take a seat." Slade said taking a chair out for her and helping her get seated.

Dinner consisted of roast duck, squid plata, caviar, snails, and white wine and for dessert flaming soufflé. Everything was perfect. There was even violin music and afterwards there was dancing. Afterwards the two of them went outside on the roof to watch the moonrise and gaze at the stars.

"Robin I have never had such a wonderful romantic evening in my entire life. Back on Tameran I would slip away from Galfore and watch the stars wondering about what it would be like to fall in love with someone. I had always thought that my betrothed would be my soul mate. I was wrong. You Robin are my soul mate and I want you to know that I will always love you no matter what." Starfire told him gazing at him fondly.

"I to have never felt this way about anyone else Starfire. Before I met you the world was a dark place. I kept to myself and preferred to lead others yet I was stuck as a sidekick. But then you came along and now my whole world is brighter. You make me want to be a better person. I love you Starfire." Slade said passionately leaning in and kissing her on the lips.

Both were in deep lip locking embracing one another. Neither one wanted to let go. Time seem to stop for just a moment. Everything was just perfect.

Then there peace was shattered. Slade's desire to dominate everything wouldn't be suppressed. He had to own Starfire like he had owned Addie. He began to force himself on top of her his arms roaming all over her. Starfire started to struggle but he couldn't stop he was too far gone. Before he could began the final plunder a starbolt forced him ten feet away from her.

Starfire was livid. Her hair was flying all over the place and her eyes were glowing brightly. Her hands were tightly clenched and her body was tense with anger. "Robin how dare you! That is no way to treat me. Even my people have respect for people's privacy and sex life. Never try to force me to do that again or I will hurt you. I'm going to get some air. Hopefully when I get back your head will be on straight. Good night!"

"Starfire wait I can explain!" Slade called after her but she was already gone. "Good going Slade. Now she hates you. Just when you got in her all time good graces you blow it. Well I better go downstairs and see what the team up to. She'll come back soon. I hope."

Meanwhile Starfire was flying above downtown muttering angrily with herself. What was the matter with her boyfriend? He was so different lately yet at the same time he was the same boy she had fallen in love with. But the Robin she knew would never had tried to have sex with her without her permission so what was wrong with him.

She was so engrossed with her thoughts she didn't see the Slade bots following her nor did she feel the eye of someone on her. She had just landed near the pizza parlor when the first Sladebot appeared from the shadows and grabbed her by the hand.

"Let go! Urh!" Starfire yelled breaking free. More Sladebots appeared and attempted to grab her. She flew into the air and began firing starbolts after starbolt at them. Grabbing her communicator she flipped it open and shouted into it, "Titans! Emergency. Sladebots attacking me in downtown I need back up now!"

"We're on our way Star just hold on." Slade told her. He watched in horror as on the screen a Sladebot leaped on top of her and forced her to the ground smashing her communicator. "Titans go!" he shouted urgently

Starfire continued to struggle using her superior strength and eye lasers to take out rows of Sladebots but her attackers just kept coming. "Leave me alone! What do you want?" she demanded

"Isn't obvious Starfire? What we want is you. Now why don't you peacefully surrender and come with me? There's something of great importance I have to talk to you about." Robin said in a smooth calm voice. He just seemed to melt away from the shadows. He stood there in the middle of the street hands behind his back calmly looking at her.

Starfire's eyes widened in fear and anger. Slade was after her this time? Well she wouldn't give him the pleasure of capturing her. "Whatever you want with me you can forget it. You're not capturing me. My friends will be here soon." She boasted.

"Your pride will be your downfall. But you are right your friends will be here in moments. In fact here they are now. Hello Teen Titans it's been awhile. So nice to see you all again. How are you feeling _Robin?" _Robin asked innocently to Slade who growled.

"Your not getting our teammate so you can back off. Raven, Beast Boy take out the robots. Cyborg protect Starfire. Slade's mine. Go!" Slade ordered extending his bo staff and leaping at Robin whose own bo staff was extended. The two pieces of metal clashed as their battle began.

Slade attacked Robin with a high sharp right kick, which Robin blocked. Robin attacked with a rabbit punch, which Slade avoided. He threw smoke bombs to the ground to confuse him but he expected that and he tossed Slade over his shoulder. Slade then tried a freeze disk, which didn't work before going back to using the staff.

"What's your game Robin? Tired of my body are you? I've been keeping an eye on you. You seem to be quite content with being me." Slade hissed into his ear.

"Well at least I'm not stuck in the body of a powerless teen and living out my fantasies. If you've been keeping track of my activities then you know I've found a way to switch us back. Why don't you come with me? Starfire doesn't have to be involved with this." Robin pleaded

"Forget it. I like my new life. I have everything I've ever wanted. A home, friends, and a loving girlfriend. You think I'll give that up then you don't know me." Slade enlightened him.

"I am NOT going to spend the rest of my life as an immortal psychopathic freak!" Robin shouted shoving him away with his staff. Charging him he gave him a good roundhouse kick sending Slade tumbling into Cyborg. Beast Boy and Raven ran to check on them leaving Starfire wide open.

One of the robots fired an electrical blast at her sending her tumbling to the ground where it got her. Before she could begin to struggle it gassed her with a sleeping agent. Signaling for his robots to disappear they threw down a smokescreen and left the Titans on the streets.

"Starfire! We have to go after him. We have no idea what he wants to do with her but it can't be good. Come on let's go!" Slade said urgently rising to his feet ready to go after her.

He knew Robin was hoping to convince her that he was Robin not Slade. He couldn't allow that. He had to get to his hideout, which was situated. He hit his head in disbelief. He couldn't remember where his hideout was! He was so use to being Robin it wasn't relevant anymore. He growled in frustration and hoped beyond hope that Starfire escaped.

Starfire fought her way back to conscience. She blinked a few days before sitting up. She was lying on a cot in a dark room. She could hear the sounds of an electronic device up an running. She saw a door and walked over to it and to her surprise it opened up to a lit corridor. She hesitated for an instant then followed the corridor till she came to the main room. There she saw Slade furiously typing away on a keyboard. He sensed her presences and turned to face. "I'm glad to see you up and about. Please take a seat we have much to discuss."

"Stay away from me you monster! Whatever you wish to discuss with me is nothing but lies. You will release me at once and surrounded yourself to the police!" Starfire ordered him her hands igniting in with twin starbolts.

"Starfire please don't do this. I need your help. If you will just listen to me for a second I'll be able to explain everything ow!" Robin yelled as she hurled her starbolts at him. He flipped out of the way as she flew an attack run at him.

Starfire let loose a barrage of starbolts. She then shot out at him with her eye lasers. Slade ducked out of the way trying to avoid being hit. She picked up one of the computer counsels and hurled at him. He cut it in half. He then threw a smoke bomb down and extended his bo staff stabbing her in the stomach and bringing her to her knees. Slade picked her up and held her tightly by her wrists. "Let me go this instant! I will not help you! You are wasting your time."

"Starfire enough! I don't want to hurt you, but if you continue to struggle I can't guarantee your safety." Robin warned already feeling the desire to slap her across the face to shut her up.

"The Titans will rescue me. They will find you and once they do you will pay for all the pain you've caused us! Robin will find me and save me. You can count on that!" Starfire informed him while she continued to try to break free but his grip was iron tight.

"Princess Korianders of Tameran you will stop resisting me this minute and shut the hell up!" Robin snapped at her. Her eyes widened in horror and her jaw hung wide open.

"How dare you address me by my true name! No one is allowed to call me that except my people and my friends. You are neither! Don't think just because you know that little bit of information I'm inclined to listen to you. You could have gotten that information by hacking our systems." Starfire pointed out defiantly

"I could have done that but I didn't. Starfire I'm not Slagh! Argh! I can't tell you who I really am. But I can tell you that your Robin isn't the real Robin."

"Lies! Stop trying to fill my head with nonsense!" Starfire screamed

"Its not lies and I think you know that. Your Robin hasn't been himself. His mannerisms are slightly off, and he has gaps in his memory. I bet he doesn't remember your trip to Tameran, but I do. I remember climbing the wall up to your balcony to talk to you about your upcoming marriage. I consoled you and later I fought for you. Don't you remember?" Robin asked urgently.

"You are trying to confuse me. I don't know how you gained this information, but it won't work. I mean just cause Robin is a little different doesn't me he isn't who he is supposed to be." Starfire replied hotly, but he could tell she was starting to have doubts.

Robin decided he had to take a big gamble. It was the only way he get the help he needed. He gently placed her hands on either sides of his mask. "If you think I am lying then prove it. Remove my mask and look into my eye and see my soul. Remember the eyes are the window to the soul."

"Fine I will do as you say. Do not move or I will attack. I am prepared for a trick. Now lets see who you are underneath this mask." Starfire said. Taking a firm grip on the sides of the mask she pulled tightly and the mask came right off. She dropped it on the ground and took a good long look at her boyfriend's most feared enemy.

His hair was very pale and his face was very worn. He had a patch over his missing eye and he had the start of a goatee. He took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eyes. She looked into his single one trying to see who he really was. His eye told the story of pain and lost. But it also told the story of a boy who enjoyed protecting people and loved her deeply. There was no mistake. She didn't know how but somehow this was Robin, her Robin.

"Oh Robin it is you! I'm so sorry I doubted you before. How is this possible?" Starfire asked amazed.

"It would take to long to explain Starfire. It's just so good to see you. I've missed you." Robin said glad that she believed him.

"Oh Robin I love you." Starfire said throwing herself into a tight embrace with him. They held each other for a long time just glad to be in each other's arm. Then she leaned upward and the two of them began to kiss passionately.

Suddenly Robin shoved her away and fell to his knees gripping the side of his head. "Get away from me Star. I'm not safe. I can't control this body's urges. I want to strangle you and I can't stop myself." He moaned.

"Fight it Robin. You can do it. Take control of the situation. Its not just Slade's mind in there it's yours. Let me help you. Raven has taught me some techniques to control dark impulses." She said placing a glowing hand on his forehead and let it flow through him. Robin took a deep breath and focused hard locking down on the dark impulses. Finally he stood up and put the mask back on.

"Thank you Starfire. I think I'll be able to control those urges better now. Now I think an explanation is in order. You better take a seat this will take some time to explain." Robin said pulling out two chairs for them to sit down. It took him the better part of the hour to explain everything. At certain points in his story he got choked up and couldn't continue but Starfire put a reassuring hand on his shoulder to help him out. Finally he finished his story. "Well that's everything. I'm turning into a monster and its all Slade's body fault! I almost killed someone! And to make it worse I was enjoying it."

"That's not entirely true Robin and you know that. As you know on Tameran we need our emotions and instincts to use our powers and guide us. We believe that that no one is born entirely evil but the choices we make determine who we are. Yes Slade's instincts are their guiding you but your mind is also in there. You've allowed the dark persona inside of you to come out. In other words you have to take some responsibilities. Freedom is power and once you accept all parts of you everything will be fine." Starfire lectured him.

Robin looked at her like she had slapped him. How could she condemn him so easily? But after examining the last few days in his mind he saw that she was right. He had wanted to steal and use the full extent of his powers. He could have resisted but he didn't. Slade's body and instincts just gave him an excuse to let out a hidden part of himself. If that was true for him was it the same for Slade?

Robin looked at Starfire and for the first time noticed her diamond star earrings. "Starfire tell me what has been happening at the Tower this last week. What has Slade done? Has he harmed you or anyone else?"

Starfire sighed and stood up and turned slightly away from him. "How do I explain what has happened to you? So much has happened but I'm not sure what to tell you. Slade has acted quite differently then you would expect. I don't know what turned him into the man he is today but I can tell you there is good that was buried deep inside of him that he know allows to shine through. At first he was cold, distant, and rude to us. Silky would bite him and he would try to harm us but something stopped him. It was shortly after that he began to change. He trained us to be a better team, became a great leader even saved my life, and he did fun things with us such as going roller skating and doing one on one things with us. I believe he truly loves me and not just because of the gifts and the dinner, but because he treats me with the highest amount of respect and is always there when I needed him. The only time he was disrespectful to me was a short time before you captured me. He tried to have intercourse with me and I blasted him away. I guess the desire to be with "Addie" was too much. I still have no idea who she is yet he mentioned her name with a deep loving passion."

"Addie Kane his wife. He had two sons and a daughter, a lover, and a best friend Star. Now they're all gone and he's alone and bitter. I don't know about him but I'm learning he's a much more complex person then I thought he was." Robin admitted.

"Indeed it would seem your worst enemy has his own private life. But that is not important right now. What is important is that we find a way to return you and Slade to your proper bodies. You have successfully rebuilt the device responsible for transferring your brainwave patterns?" Starfire asked looking at him hopefully.

Robin nodded his head and lead her to the table that had the portable MET resting comfortably on it. "All it's missing is the gem emitter crystal to focus the beam so that the transmitter array can send the brainwaves to the proper bodies. I've run hundreds of simulations and I think I know how to recreate the accident successfully with no chance of anything going wrong. There are only two problems."

"What? What problems are there?" Starfire inquired

"Well one Slade has to be wearing the matching neural interface headband in order for the procedure to work at all. The second is a little more complicated. I've been running test on my Slade's body and I've discovered something. My brainwave patterns have almost been completely reformatted to work with this brain. If my patterns aren't restored to my body within the next twenty four hours then I'm going to be stuck forever in Slade's body." Robin informed her.

"Then we will fix the problem before then. Do not worry Robin I will help you. And if even if by the smallest chance you are forever bound to this body I will always love you. Now I must return to the Titans. Since there is no way to convince them right now that you are you we will have to do that when we meet up at GemTech. Don't worry I'll keep an eye on Slade you can count on me." Starfire assured him.

"Wait you can't go looking like that. It has to look like you fought to escape. I hate to harm you, but I must. Forgive me please." Robin said softly as he punched her in the stomach and gave her a few bruises. When he was done he turned away ashamed.

Starfire kissed him gently and whispered, "Its okay Robin. I forgive you." She then pocketed something and flew back to the Tower at top speeds. When she arrived the rest of the Titans rushed out to greet her. Slade swept her up in a big hug and whirled her around.

"I was so worried about you. Did Slade do this you? When I get my hands on him he will pay." Slade growled angered the Robin would attack his own girlfriend.

"That's enough. What is done is done. Right now we have more pressing matters to attend to. Slade is attempting to rebuild the device that he used at GemTech last week. He wanted to test in on me, but I escaped. I heard him saying he was going to go to GemTech and personally secure the gems he needs sometime between today and tomorrow. We must be ready for him."

"And we will. You go clean up and I'll back up the T-Car for a late night stakeout. Nobody harms a Titan and gets away with it. Nobody." Cyborg vowed as the rest of the Titans followed him inside.

"Are you sure that Slade didn't do anything to you at all?" Slade asked curious to know what she knew.

"Yes Robin I am. Trust me everything will be alright." Starfire said brushing her hands against her pocket were her little secret lay hidden. She was going to need it very soon.


	6. Battle

Hours had passed since the stakeout started and still no sign of Slade/Robin. Tempers were getting high and everyone was tired and hungry. The Titans had voted against calling the cops hoping they could handle the situation themselves.

"This is Cyborg checking in. No sign of trouble on this side of the building. The T Car sensors aren't picking up anything. What about you Beast Boy? Anything from your point of view?"

Beast Boy was in his eagle form. He swooped down and landed on the rooftop of the building. He glanced around and shivered. This place still bore scars from what happened during their last visit. At least the transformer had been fixed.

"BB here. I just finished my aerial survey and I've got nothing. Are we sure that Slade will come here? I mean aren't there any other places that make these gem thingies?" he asked

"Negative Beast Boy. I ran a search before we left. GemTech is the only company in the immediate area and if he is trying to complete a device that will help him control minds as Starfire said then he'll need gems of this quality. No other will work. Besides we know the way Slade operates. He won't perceive of us as a threat. He'll see us as nothing more then minor inconvience." Raven said into her communicator. She was using her telepathy to try and locate trouble.

"We have to be on our toes. Slade was serious about getting that gem emitter crystal. After what he did to Starfire he has to be stopped. You understand Titans? Slade doesn't get away." Slade growled as he continued his patrol. He knew the real reason Robin was coming here and he had a plan to stop him. He glanced at Starfire who gave him a small smile.

"Don't worry Starfire. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise that Slade will pay for harming you and me. You can be assured of that." Slade promised her.

Starfire placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "I know that Robin. I'm sorry for my behavior earlier. I shouldn't have yelled at you. What would have happed to you if the last words I said to you were those of anger?"

"Starfire I could never stay mad at you. My behavior earlier was inexcusable. I shouldn't have tried to control you. I know that whatever happens between us will be for the best. I want you to know this. That I would never ever harm you and I will do the right thing when it comes to us, our friends, and when we come face to face with Slade I will handle it both morally and ethically. You have my word." Slade told her meaning every word he said.

"Thank you Robin. That means more to me then anything. I know that you will keep your word because you are both trustworthy and responsible. I want you to know something to Robin. No matter what happens in life you are never alone. I will always be your friend and if you ever need me I'll be there. Count on it." Starfire told him. On an impulse she swept him up in a big hug and gave him one last kiss on the lips.

Starfire looked down at the floor guilty. She was suppose to be getting everyone into position so that when Robin came busting in to steal his gem emitter he could easily obtain it. Afterwards they would convince the Titans what was going on and switch both of them back.

"Hey don't get so down Star. Things will be fine." Slade told her. Suddenly the alarm went off. Both teens looked at each other. "Trouble. We got a break in on the top floor in the high security vault. Call the rest of the Titans and tell them to join us upstairs fast. Move it!"

Robin strolled across the floor in the vault room escorted by squad of Sladebots. On his belt he carried the portable MET and on his head he wore the neural interface headband. He casually went through the drawers till he found the one perfect gem that would suit his needs. He had just finished inserting the gem when he heard someone shout out of him. "Freeze! Don't move Slade, its over!"

He turned to face the speaker. He smiled underneath his mask. It was the Titans. Each had taken up their usual fighting stance. Cyborg was on Slade's left his sonic cannon armed and ready. Beast Boy had transformed into a gorilla. Starfire was in the air starbolts charged and Raven was getting ready to chant. Slade had his bo staff extend with some disks in his hand. "We know what your planning Slade and it won't work. Were going to put an end to your terror now." Slade boasted

"Really Robin do you really think that you can defeat me? You've always been one step behind me. But besides we both know what this is really about. So why don't we cut the small talk and you and I just step outside for a moment okay?" Robin asked slyly.

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about. All I know for sure is that machine your carrying has to go. Titans attack!" Slade ordered throwing one of his electric disk hitting Robin square in the chest.

Robin was in agony as the electricity poured through out his body. He buckled down and planted his feet firmly on the ground. After a few minutes the pain was gone. His new immortal body had helped protect him again. "Nice trick. Now it's my turn. Sladebots attack!" Robin ordered pointing at them.

The Sladebots began to shoot and assault the team. The Titans divided scattered getting some space to maneuver. Robin had programmed the Sladebots to anticipate the Titans move and take them out quick and painlessly without causing any lasting harm. He wanted to end this fight before someone got injured.

Cyborg fired his sonic cannon straight at the onslaught and was surprised when the Sladebots dodged out of the way and started firing their blasters. Deciding against using his cannon he instead preceded to rip them to pieces.

Raven and Starfire had double team. Starfire was firing starbolts and eye beams off left and right while Raven chanted her spell, which sent a ton of gemstones on top of the robots burying them alive. Both girls smiled at each other then hurried to help Beast Boy.

Beast Boy was doing rapid fast shape shifting changing from one animal into another. It was the only way he could keep up with the robots who seem to guess what he was going to become next. Finally he became a T-rex and chewed the robots to pieces. Finally the way was clear to face Slade.

Slade had been battling Robin intent on destroying the portable MET before it could be used. Unfortunately Robin seemed intent on keeping the device in one piece. Slade hurled four birdarangs at Robin's head, which he caught and flung back at him. He somersaulted out of the way and fired a freeze disk, which Robin kicked away. "You're not going to win this fight. Surely you can see that. Why not just give up?"

"You're the one who should give up. My team and I won't allow you to use your evil machine. You think you've seen everything I can do well think again." Slade said throwing a bomb at him. The explosion caused part of the ceiling to cave in. When the smoke cleared Robin's foot was trapped underneath the rubble and he was unable to get loose.

Slade smirked arrogantly seeing Robin so helpless. He was going nowhere. The time had come to be rid of him permentalty. The rest of the Titans save Starfire had joined him. "The games over Slade. You're going down. You might want to brace yourself this is going to hurt more then you think. Titans ready aim fire!" he shouted. All at the same time Slade, Cyborg, and Raven launched their most devastating attack. Robin could only watch helplessly as his doom came hurling towards him.

"NO! You mustn't harm him!" Starfire yelled flying as fast as she could to protect him from harms way. She hovered a few feet in front of him and formed a shield out of her starbolts. The attack hit it full force and was almost too much for her. When it was over she dropped the shield sinking to the ground.

"Starfire! Starfire are you okay! Talk to me Star." Robin yelled wrenching his foot free and running over and cradling Starfire in his arms. He brought her close to his chest and brushed back her hair. "Are you okay? How could you do something so foolish? You could've gotten hurt."

Starfire looked him in the eye and placed a hand on his mask gently stroking it. "I couldn't let you get hurt. If I lost you I would die. Here help me up and I'll be fine." She told him as he helped her up. Soon the two of them were standing side by side facing the shocked and confused faces of the Titans.

"Starfire what are you doing? Why did you protect Slade from our attack? He's the enemy or have you forgotten!" Slade demanded angrily.

"I am sorry my friends if my actions confuse you. But I couldn't allow you to harm him. Please listen to me. We've all been deceived this past week. Not everything is as it seems." Starfire stated evenly charging her hands up incase there was trouble.

"Girl what are you talking about? Did Slade hurt you in anyway that would make you defend him like this?" Cyborg asked. He had his sonic cannon aimed straight at Slade's head but couldn't get a clear shot without injuring Starfire.

"Cyborg put that cannon away before you hurt someone. How could I ever hurt Starfire? I love her too much to allow any harm what so ever to come to her. I hated when I had to injure her in order for her to convince you guys she escaped and needed you to come here. You got to believe what she saying." Robin said.

"Stop lying through you teeth Slade. Whatever you did to Starfire's mind will be small compared to what I'm going to do to yours. Trust me on that." Raven said.

"Friends you have to listen to me please. He speaks the truth. The last time we were here both Robin and Slade were involved in a terrible accident that had unforeseen consequences. The result of the electric shock combined with the MET device switched the brainwave patterns of the two placing them in the wrong body. We have been under the leadership of Slade all this time while Robin here has had to steal and commit horrors in order to resolve the situation. Raven, you and I had a similar experience happen to us don't you remember? What I'm saying is entirely possible and surely you must have sensed something was off. Can't you tell I'm telling the truth?" Starfire pleaded

"Well Raven is she telling the truth? Is it even possible what she claims to have happened at all? I mean I like to think we could spot an evil maniac like Slade posing as Robin." Beast Boy said to her while he gave both Slade and Robin a quick glance.

"I don't know. When I used my powers on Robin after the accident I did get a strange sensation but it disappeared so quickly I thought I'd imagined it. Still I do know one thing for certain. Both she and Slade over there firmly believe what their saying and nothing is going to change their minds." Raven replied uncertain of how to proceed.

"Starfire enough. You're not thinking straight. Whatever Slade's done to you we can fix if you let us help you. You have to trust me Starfire. I only have your best interest at heart." Slade said encouragingly. He held out his hand for her. "Take my hand Starfire please. I don't want you to suffer at his hands like I did."

Starfire fired a starbolt at him forcing him to take a step back from her. "Stay away from me you imposter. You don't understand the meaning of suffering. You want me to trust you after you've lied to me and tried to harm me earlier? I think not. The game is over Slade admit it."

"She has proof of what she claims Titans. All you have to do is listen to her and don't dismiss whatever she gives you right out of her hand. He will try to explain away everything but he will not be able to perfectly explain everything. Believe me." Robin said defiantly

"Alright Star were all ears. What proof do you have to back up this crazy explanation? And it better be good otherwise both you and Slade have a date with my sonic cannon." Cyborg told them.

"My first bit of evidence is his mannerism from the moment he regained conscience after the accident. Robin is many things but hostile and threaten isn't one of them. That boy over there was rude, malicious, and lastly cruel. Don't tell me you didn't notice that." Starfire pointed out.

"Starfire I told you that his concussion could have been responsible for that. Also Robin had been acting way more obsessive then usual lately. Combined with his nightmares his actions aren't unreasonable." Cyborg countered. Still he couldn't keep the twinge of doubt out of his voice.

"Very well then what about the gaps in his memories. If he is truly Robin then he will be able to tell me what I said to him in the cave on that hostile alien planet we landed on. Well what did I say and what was your answer?" she demanded angrily her eyes boring down on him.

"That's an easy one. Go ahead my man and tell her what happened. Were all dying for the details of that night," Beast Boy said slapping him on the back.

Slade took a deep breath and tried to think of something to say. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out of it. "Look why does it matter? Starfire enough of this please. I can't remember what happened so what?"

"She told me her powers were inclined to her powers and she was feeling confused about what was happening between us. I told her I thought she was the strongest girl ever and that it was cool how she could throw starbolts and that I didn't mind having a friend who was a girl." Robin said smoothly and coolly. The Titans stared at him then Robin. They were almost convinced but there was one more thing that would prove it.

"Here is my final shred of evidence. I put him in the T Car when you weren't looking. Hope this convinces you." Starfire said bringing her fingers to her mouth and whistling loudly. A loud rumble could be heard as a small cylinder shape torpedo came flying into the room and popped open depositing Silky in her arms.

"Silky is like any animal. He can sense when certain things are not as they should be. These past few days he has been trying to warn me of a danger lurking nearby. He was trying to protect me from getting hurt. Silky will show us who the real Robin is." Starfire said hugging her baby tightly.

She set the little maggot down and he walked over Slade who was looking at the little maggot his eyes bulging. The little insect took one sniff of him then bit down hard on his foot. He was jumping up and down as Silky hissed at him. Silky turned around and walked over to Robin. He sniffed him then smiled. Robin picked him up and Silky gave him a big sloppy kiss before cuddling close to him. "If this doesn't proof that I'm Robin what will?"

"Come on you really don't believe any of this do you guys? Come on its me Robin." Slade insisted desperate to keep control of the situation.

Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven looked at one another then at Starfire who was petting Silky while still in the arms of their worst enemy. Nodding at one another they walked over till they were standing right next to Starfire and Robin. They turned to face him powers ready. "This charade is over Slade. Admit the truth of who you are right now." Cyborg ordered.

Slade looked at them one by one shocked and angered. He clenched his fist and stared down at the floor in despair. Then he started to chuckle, which sent shivers down their spine. When he looked up at them he had a strange look in his eyes. "I considered you my friends. I fantasized that we could have a wonderful life together full of adventure and excitement and that we always be together. Heck I even thought I actually get the chance to relive my youth with no mistakes this time. But I guess I was wrong. Fine _team_ I admit it. I'm Slade and I have two things to say one your leader is never going to get his body back and two," He shot out a grappling hook, which wrapped around Starfire and he pulled her into his arms. "I'm not leaving without my Starfire!"

"You just made a big mistake pal. Booyah!" Cyborg shouted firing up his sonic cannon when Slade brought up birdarang to Starfire's neck drawing blood. Robin shoved Cyborg just as he fired so his shot missed the two of them by half an inch.

"Don't fire. Don't anyone attack. We can't risk Starfire's life!" Robin yelled at them while he glared hatefully at Slade who was using Starfire as a human shield so they wouldn't attack.

"I don't want to hurt her. I really don't. But if you attack me or follow me at all I will. I won't have you taking the one thing that has brought me the most pleasure out of this experience. So back off or I slit her throat and we all lose." Slade ordered inching towards the door.

"We can't let him get away. Be careful in your attacks not to injure Starfire and only knock him out. Titans Go!" Robin yelled already on the move.

Beast Boy was first he morphed into a huge tiger and leapt straight at Slade intending to knock Starfire out of his arms but Slade was ready for him. He jumped out of the way and launched several freeze disks at him freezing him to the spot.

The extra weight of carrying Starfire didn't seem to be slowing him down a bit as he gave Cyborg a good round house kick upside the head then blew him away with some mini explosives.

Raven had already been using her telekinesis to try and wrap him up in a wave of her power, but she couldn't get a lock on him. He was too quick and he was using a multiple of weapons to disorient her. "You want to play rough then let's play rough. Azerath Metrion Zinthoof." She said muffled as elastic goo covered her mouth preventing her from speaking.

"Next time don't use such long spells. Man that was almost too easy. Give me a challenge already." Slade chortled

"Forget about me Slade? Want to see how well you hold up to an immortal? I mean seeing as how you don't have your powers anymore and are carrying around a helpless girl I think I can take you." Robin said calmly getting into his battle stance.

"Your welcome to try. Let me just put Starfire down and add some extra quick dry hardening agent to the cord so she can't escape and now lets fight. Come on Robin lets see how much you've improved." Slade taunted setting Starfire down and drawing his staff.

Both charged each other Slade whirling his staff high and Robin blocking it with his hands. Slade pressed hard trying to break through, but Robin held his ground. Slade lashed out with his foot intent on tripping Robin up but he flipped out of the way. Both used several martial arts moves matching each other move for move. Finally Slade played a dirty trick. He kneed Robin in the groin then bashed him in the head forcing him to the ground. "I must say you have improved, but immortal or not, I am the better fighter."

He walked over a picked up a struggling Starfire who still hadn't managed to break free. She looked up at him in terror. "Now Titans if you don't mind I have to go. Bye!" He said dropping a smoke bomb and leaving them standing alone in the room.

Once the smoke cleared away they looked at one another with worry in their eyes. Cyborg looked down at his arm and frowned. "Slade's deactivated both his and Starfire's communicators so I can't track them. My sensors aren't picking them up at all. Raven can you sense them?"

Raven shook her head angrily. "No he's using the lessons I taught him to shield his thoughts. I can't find him. I've tried locking onto Starfire's thought's but with no luck. Grr I can't believe I helped that monster."

"Hey he fooled all of us. None of us could have known what was really going on. I mean we could have but we chose not to. Hey maybe Silky can lead us to Starfire! I mean he is her pet." Beast Boy suggested holding Silky up.

"No forget it. It would take to long to track him down. By the time we found him the window for switching us back would be closed. I only have fifteen minutes left to try and get my body back. God I don't know what I'm going to do if I'm stuck in this body. I mean I can't lead the Titans like this." Robin said miserably

"Don't worry man. Whatever happens will follow you no matter what. You don't have to concern yourself about it. No way will we allow Slade to keep your body and get away with Starfire." Cyborg assured him putting his arm on his shoulder and smiling at him.

"Yeah dude. Were friends and friend's stick together no matter what happens. And look on the bright side if your stuck in Slade's body permanently you won't have to work out so much." Beast Boy tried to joke.

"Your not helping. We have to think logically on this one. Were would Slade go with Starfire? I mean where's the last place we look for him right now." Raven asked.

They thought about for a minute then Robin snapped his fingers. "I know were he is. Guys I want you to go back to the T Car and wait for me to come back with Starfire. If I don't return I want you to return to the Tower and start trying to track Slade down. Don't argue with me. This is something I have to do alone. You are the best friends a guy could ever ask for. Now go!" He ordered as he raced away leaving his friends behind

On the roof of the building Slade was leaning over the edge of the room scanning for the Titans. Once they were gone he would take Starfire and get out of Jump City. He turned to face Starfire who was giving him the death glare. "Will you please stop struggling? Your going to hurt yourself and I rather you not do it."

"I won't stop squirming. Why do you continue to evade my friends? What do you hope to gain with kidnapping me? Lastly why do you insist on keeping Robin's body now that your secret is revealed? You should give it back to him and return to your own." Starfire told him

He looked at her incredibly. How could she be so beautiful and smart and still not get it? "You of all people should understand why I try to invade your friends. I don't want to be caught its in my nature. I kidnapped you because I don't want to lose you. For the first time in long while you have awaken feelings in me that have been long since buried. I don't want to lose that. I want to keep Robin's body for a lot of reasons but mainly because I don't want to go back to being me ever. I hate my old life so I'm not going back."

"Running away from a problem? That doesn't sound like you Slade. I should know. I have your memories." Robin said as he appeared on the roof.

Immediately Slade pressed the birdarang to Starfire's throat and got in a defense position. "Keep away from me Robin. If you come any closer I will kill her then neither of us will be able to enjoy her company. Keep that MET away from me. We have only ten more minutes till the switch is permanent and I intend to keep it that."

Robin held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Haven't you lost enough people you love Slade without adding someone else to the list? I know that you are truly in love with Starfire and it's not just because of my memories. She is as strong and determined as Addie with Lily gentleness and kindness. You can't help but be reminded of the women you loved so long ago. Just as Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, and even me remind you of your children and Wintergreen. You and I are a lot of alike Slade. We both have painful past and both want what the other haves. But we can't life a lie Slade. You and I may both make great heroes and villains. But in the end we have to be true to our hearts. Please I'm asking you as a friend to give me back my body and let Starfire go."

Slade looked at him with tears running down his face. He looked at Robin with both pity and sadness. "Oh Robin if only it were that easy. But you don't understand truly my pain. If I switch back I have to go back to my old life. A life of criminal activity and masterminding plots. But also of loneliness and sadness. The curse of immortality is that you have no one to share it with. I don't know if I can deal with that after seeing how wonderful life you have."

"Hey I have my own share of difficulties. I mean look at me. I run myself ragged trying to protect the city, I'm trying get out of my mentors shadows and escape my past, and lastly I'm trying to deal with my love life. If that isn't hard I don't know what is. We all have are difficulties Slade, but we can't run from them. We have to face them. Please before its to late switch let me switch us back." Robin begged inching closer.

Slade hesitated for a moment unsure of what to do. The birdarang in his hand dropped ever so slightly from Starfire's throat. That was all the room she needed. Powering up she blew apart her bonds and front flipped over Slade while depositing the neural interface helmet she had taken earlier on his head. He struggled to get it off but he couldn't. "Now Robin!"

Robin turned on the machine and immediately sank to his knees as his memories and those he had gained from Slade began to flow back towards his body while at the same time the same thing was happening to Slade. Both were in pain but neither ones conscience was being transferred. There wasn't enough power. "Starfire! We need an electrical power surge now! It's the only way we can get our conscience minds back in the proper bodies."

"But I may harm you or even kill you both if I do anything." Starfire shouted.

"Just do it please! We only have two minutes left before time runs out. Please my love does it!" Robin order moaning in pain.

Flying high into the air she positioned herself above them both. She took careful aim and powered up both her hands and eyes. "Forgive me both of you. Please let this work. Huynh!" she shouted firing her powers at the roof.

The explosion was huge. The entire building shook and both of them were hurled into the newly repaired transformers. Sparks flew every were as bolts of massive electricity flowed through the two. They shouted in agony as their bodies were nearly shut down by the massive current. They fell to the ground hidden in a cloud of smoke.

Starfire flew down into the cloud and searched frantically for Robin. Finally she found both Slade and Robin. Both were unconscious and both had sever electric burns over them. Neither one looked like they were breathing. She checked for a pulse and found a steady one. Now came the difficult part. Who did she take back to Titans Tower and whom did she leave behind? Closing her eyes she listened to her heart and picked up Robin's body. Pressing a button on Slade's wrist she activated an emergency pickup for him to take him to his lair. She would let him go. She had to get back to the Tower.

Back at the Tower she greeted her friends who were happy to see her. They kept asking what happen to Slade but she wouldn't tell him. Instead they took Robin to the infirmary to check him over. An hour later he still hadn't regain consciences and she was getting worried. "Is he going to be alright?"

"We've healed most of his injuries and treated him for electrical shock but were still unsure about his mind." Raven said

"From what you told us time was almost up when you sent them into that transformer. We don't know yet if he's return to his own body or if he's still in Slade's. His brainwave activity is so erratic I can't trust my sensors. The best thing we can do is wait for him to wake up." Cyborg told her.

"And hope that we don't have a crazed maniac on our hands still." Beast Boy commented. They all nodded and looked at the bed were their leader lie hoping that everything was finally back to normal.

Please email Dlsky about what you think of this story as well as any other story listed in the challenge. Thank you.


	7. Closure

The Titans were watching the vitals signs of their leader intently. It had been over two hours and he still hadn't awakened. His breathing had become steady and his heart rate had returned to normal. His brainwave patterns still hadn't completely returned to normal. He also refused to awaken from his restless sleep.

"Dude how much longer is he going to be like this? Haven't you two figure a way to wake him up and see if he's who he's suppose to be?" demanded Beast Boy.

"Unfortunately no. Robin's body has under gone two major traumas to it with in a short amount of time. He wasn't completely recovered from the first one when he got shocked again. Even if everything is back to normal we don't know what kind of damage was done both to his mind and body." Raven pointed out.

"Rae right. Robin body might never heal completely from all the electricity that went through it. His other injuries are minor but might impair his fighting abilities. As for his mind well after what he's been through who knows if he will even be able to tell who he is let alone make sense of this entire incident." Cyborg said.

"I can not help but wonder what happened to Slade. I know that I should have captured him, but I couldn't do it. Not after all the good he did. I know you think it was all a lie, but I know that he really meant what he did. I'm wondering what is he going to do when he wakes up." Starfire said sadly wrapping her arms around herself.

"Star the dude try to have sex with you. Doesn't that bother you at all?" Beast Boy asked

"You do not understand Beast Boy. On Tameran we are taught that there is good and evil inside all of us. It is up to us to decide what were going to be and if we want to redeem ourselves. Slade may have done many horrible evil deeds in his life, but for the short time he was with us he was a great leader, a good friend, and a kind boyfriend. I can't simply forget that no matter what." Starfire replied.

"Well right now we have to be worried about our leader. I'm trying to read his mind to tell if he's in there, but I'm being blocked. I can't get anything at all. I really hope Robin wakes up soon." Raven told them.

Black swirls surrounded Robin. The fog was so dense he couldn't see anything in front of him. Robin looked around frantically trying to figure out where he was and what was going. What was this strange place?

"Where am I? What is going on? Is anyone out there? Please someone help me!" he shouted

Suddenly the mist began to dissipate. The blackness was soon replaced by hundreds of pictures and beams of light surrounded each of them interconnect them. One set of memories was outlined with a faint red tint while the other half were outlined in a black tint. These were the memories and life experiences of Robin and Slade. But what was truly frightening was Slade's memories and experiences were attempting to impose over his own.

"No! Stop it! I don't want Slade's memories in my head. I don't want him to control me. Get away from me now!" Robin yelled ramming his fist at the memories. He planted himself in front Slade's memories trying to force them backwards but they overran him.

The two sets of memories and experiences collided with one another causing a mini explosion. Robin was hit by a backlash of the explosion. It engulfed him causing him vast pain. "Ahhh!" he screamed as he felt his entire body exploded into a million of tiny pieces. He felt his entire body transforming.

With sheer will power he forced himself to endure the pain before finally overcoming it. He panted hard and took deep gasping breath. He looked up at the memories to see what had happened. They were frozen in place. Robin was pleased to see that Slade's mind wasn't trying to take the place of his own. He smiled contented, but it caused him to wince in pain. He saw a reflective surface nearby. He decided to have a look to see what the problem was. What he saw froze his blood cold.

His right half was all him. His face was bruised and his costume was a little tattered and torn. His boot was tarnished. He looked like a real mess. But that wasn't what was causing him to panic was his left half was that of Slade's! The full black metal mask with the body armor encased his body. It was gleaming in the supernatural light. He was shocked. What did this possibly mean?

HE stumbled back falling into a memory. It was the one with him and Starfire on the Ferris wheel enjoying the fireworks and eating cotton candy. The memory filled him with all sorts of sensations and made him quiver in shock. "Why does my memory scare me?"

Suddenly his memory of Starfire was replaced with him on a romantic evening with Addie Kane. They were at a seafood restaurant eating lobster. He laughed gaily as Addie fed him some of her lobster. No this wasn't his so why did he have it? He didn't want anything of Slade's. He wanted to just be him again.

Yet his mind wouldn't let him forget what had happened to him. It was determined for him to understand and accept everything that made Slade who he was and what made him the man he was. The similarities between them were startling. He could literally see, touch, taste, smell, and hear everything that linked him and Slade.

"Beautiful isn't it? Yet strange and disturbing at the same time how much our lives mirror each other." A voice said from the shadows.

Robin whirled around already knowing whom he see. It was Slade all right, but he was also in like him. While his right side was all his the left side of his body was that of Robin's. Masking his confusion he asked the first question that came to mind. "What is this place? Why are we like this and what is going on with our minds. I don't understand."

"Robin you were always the smart one, but the most simplest of answers elude you. This place is our subconscious. When the MET malfunctioned and caused us to switch our conscience minds our subconscious didn't. Now that we are going back to our own bodies our minds are attempting to sort out everything that has occurred. Since our minds is having some trouble figuring out what goes where they have split us up in half." Slade explained walking over to him

"Stay back. This is a little overwhelming for me. You want me to believe that our minds are confused about what belongs to us? By the looks of things our minds are trying to find a way to accept these new memories as part of our own." Robin told him

"Perhaps, it would make sense. But can you deal with it? I must admit it is slightly confusing to have the mind of a child as part of my own genius. Yet I find that I have learned much by seeing the world through your eyes. I wouldn't want to loose it." Slade said.

"I guess Starfire was right. We have to accept all parts of us. Including the hero and villain in both of us. Once we do then everything will be okay. I have learned that I have a dark side in me and that if I don't express it once and awhile it will consume me. Thank you for teaching me that." Robin said graciously.

"Your welcome. Now I think I've figured out how we can awaken from this sleep. But you better contact me once we do. We have much to discuss." Slade told him. Robin nodded his head.

"Take my hands and focus your mind. Concentrate on everything that is yours then allow it to flow through you. Then allow my memories to enter you and become part of you. I will do the same. Now concentrate." Slade said taking Robin's hand. Both of them closed their eyes and focused their minds. Soon a white glow surrounded them.

The memories began to whirl around them at super speeds surrounding them and penetrating them both. The entire room began to shake as the memories began to reintegrate themselves. Both rose into the air neither one letting go. In a blur of colors and lights their bodies returned to normal. The process was almost complete. Both of them could feel the process nearly completed when there was great big popping noise. Both of them screamed as they were flung into a bright light.

Meanwhile in the real world Cyborg and Raven were working frantically to keep Robin's body alive. Up until a few minutes ago everything was normal, but soon he began to have convulsions and started thrashing around like crazy. "Hold him steady so I can restrain him. Raven get me a sedative and hurry. Its on the table over there." Cyborg ordered.

Raven grabbed the syringe and plunged it into his arm. Looking at the heart monitor she frowned. "No good. His heart rate is still to high and the rest of his vitals are going crazy."

"Guys look at his temperature! It's spiked to 101! We got to cool him down. I'll go get some ice. Man what is going on?" Beast Boy cried as he raced to get some ice.

"Please is there something I can do? We can't lose him!" Starfire exclaimed.

"Help Cyborg with the medication and talk to him. Try to get him to wake up. I'll do my best to get his vitals back to normal. Don't worry were not going to lose him I promise." Raven assured her already working her magic on Robin's still convulsing form.

"I've give him some morphine to lessen the pain and strapped him down to the table. It's okay Star really. I'm guessing that this was all part of the process of getting those two back into their right bodies. I'm sure the worst is over." Cyborg told her.

"I got the ice. I hope it helps him." Beast Boy said placing a bag of ice on Robin's head.

"His heart rate and other vitals have returned to normal. He should be fine now. In fact if I'm not mistaken he should awake soon. Starfire talk to him. It will help him." Raven encouraged

Starfire clasped her hands around Robin's and looked at him longingly. More than anything she was worried about her boyfriend and wanted him to be safe. "Please Robin, wake up. Everything is all right now. You don't have to remain in the dark anymore. Come back to the light. We need you Robin to lead us. I need you as a friend and more importantly as a lover." She said as she leaned down as kissed him gently on the lips.

A shiver ran through out Robin's body and he slowly opened his eyes blinking them furiously. He let out a soft moan and gently squeezed Starfire's hand. In a weak voice he croaked, "Starfire? Is that you?"

The rest of the Titans gasped softly and crowded the bed. Each watched as their leader tried to sit up. But he failed and just slid back down. Starfire got him some pillows to prop himself against and Raven gave him some water to drink. Cyborg was doing a quick exam when Beast Boy opened his big mouth. "Hold up the celebration. How do we know for certain that we have the real deal here? I mean last time this happened we ended up with a nutcase as our leader. Can you proof your Robin?" he demanded

"Your real name is Garfield Logan, Raven's been in my mind, Cyborg always lets me win at basketball and Starfire's favorite type of mustard is French." He replied grinning weakly.

"It is you! Welcome back dude!" Beast Boy said giving him a big hug.

"Its good to have you back Robin. I must admit that I was really worried that we would have to get use to having Slade lead us." Cyborg told him.

"Yeah I must admit that it's just not the same around here without you around." Raven admitted shyly.

"Robin how are you feeling? Is their any lingering effects of the switch that we should be concern about?" Starfire asked quietly. Silky started rubbing against her leg. She picked him up and placed him on Robin's bed.

Robin smiled happily as Silky gave him a hug wet kiss and begin purring contently. He petted the little maggot and gazed happily at his friends knowing how lucky he was to have them. "I'm changed guys. It's hard to put into words exactly. I have all of my memories from when I was in Slade's body. But I also have his memories and life experiences. I know that this might be hard for you four to understand, but I think I understand him a whole lot better. He's not as much a villain to me anymore as he is also a victim. I don't think I have the right to expose him. He's a part of me from now on as I am part of him. Please I need some time think. Can I have a moment alone please?"

"Yeah sure take as much time as you need. Will be here when you need us." Cyborg said.

"Will be in the living room if you need us." Beast Boy told him.

"Get some rest. It will take a while to heal completely." Raven ordered before departing.

"I will be outside if you need me. Robin if there is anything left that has to be discussed between you and Slade I suggest you do it soon. I'll make sure that you have some privacy. I love you." Starfire said picking up her pet and leaving.

Robin smiled as he watched his friends leave. It felt good to be back in his own body and among the people who loved him the most. But he still had one last loose end to tie up. Flicking on the communicator he typed in the code for Slade's personal line. He didn't have to wait long. Slade's face soon filled his tiny little view screen. "Its nice to know that you still keep your word. I half expected you not to call. After all it would slightly dishonorable."

Robin gave a low chuckle. "I'm not that dishonorable no matter how much you wish. I suppose you also awakened a few minutes ago and that everything is back to normal for you. How's your mental state?"

"A little worse for wear, but I'll deal with it. You have left quite an impression on me young Robin. I don't see how I can go back to leading my old life as the world's greatest evil mastermind. Its lost its appeal compared to the life as a superhero. Among other things I don't know what I want to do with my immortal life. When I was you a part of me that I thought had died long ago was reawakened. For the first time in a long while I had friends to be with it, fun things to do, and I'm almost ashamed to admit a girl to love. Starfire is a pretty amazing person."

"That she is. She always tries to find the good in others. She is wise beyond her years. But your not the only one changed. For the first time in my life I was able to release pent up emotions and be completely free. I also was able to perfect martial arts techniques that would have taken decades of practice. In a way we helped each other understand ourselves a little better. The question is where do we go from here."

"That is the question. Nothing will change either one of our pasts and this past week has not redeemed me in the eyes of your friends. If anything it has only strengthened their resolve on how evil I am." Slade pointed out

"Don't forget about me. I may have their sympathies, but at the same time I can feel their pity and shame. They don't understand how I could be swallowed up so easily by the darkness. I tried to explain it to them, but they just don't understand what I've been through." Robin replied

"Give them time. It is hard for people to change their perspective on others. But soon they will." Slade responded.

"This above all us. Thy own self be true. Shakespeare. You know Slade you don't have to spend the rest of your life alone. You could join us. Starfire has forgiven you and so have I. The others will to in time. You could help us track down criminals and stuff. Besides I need someone to teach me how to perfect my moves." Robin suggested.

"An interesting offer. One that I would need to think over for a while but I will get back to you about it. Don't worry this will end better then our last deal. Tomorrow night then. Good night Robin." Slade said

"Good night Slade. Perhaps in the morning this will all be clear to us." Robin said shutting of the communicator. Lying back down he fell into a peaceful sleep unaware of Starfire watching him from the doorway smiling. Everything was back to normal.


	8. Afterthought

Three months later.

Robin leapt into the air and high kicked his opponent. His opponent grabbed his leg and hurled him towards the wall. Robin kicked off the wall and flipped over his opponent. He tossed several birdarangs and a freeze disks.

His opponent merely dodged the disk and caught the birdarangs in one hand. He tossed them aside and extended a bo staff. He beckoned Robin forward. Robin extended his own staff and took a cautious step forward. He was looking for an opening.

They circled one another each one looking for a sign of a weakness in their opponent. Suddenly both sprang at one another and began to fight as if their lives depended on it. Each matched each other move for move. Suddenly Robin went high and knocked his opponent to the ground. "Game over I win."

"It would seem that way. Your definitely improving Robin, but you still leave yourself open to attack on your left side. You must learn to keep your guard up on both sides if you want to avoid being caught off guard." His opponent, Slade, said getting up and brushing himself off.

"I'll remember that next time I'm in a fight. But I'm not the only one who needs to improve. Your reaction time was slower today and I noticed that you didn't put everything into your attack. You've never gone easy on me before so why start now?" Robin asked out of curiosity. He changed from his workout suit into his costume.

"I was distracted today that's all. Yours and Starfire's visits are the few joys left in my life. The rest of your friends still don't trust me that I have turned over a new leaf. Still I do what I can to help improve your skills and take down my former associates." Slade said humbly

"Well if we hadn't shared the weirdest experience of our lives neither would I. But Starfire is right. Everyone deserves a chance to prove themselves and you have shown these last few months that you are serious about changing." Robin pointed out.

"Speaking of Starfire how is she these days? The last time I contacted her she seemed shall I say a little testy." Slade asked him.

"She's just worried about Silky is all. He's going through his molting phase again eating everything in sight. Well I have to get back to the Tower. Same time next week?" Robin asked his former nemeses now turned ally.

"I'll be waiting. You should get going. Raven and Cyborg will be worried. Tell Beast Boy thank you for the video game." Slade said

"I will bye." Robin said heading out of the lair. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon as Robin headed back to his home. For the past three months since the switch he had been visiting Slade to keep him company. In exchange Slade trained him to be a better crime fighter. Not all the Titans liked the situation, but they put up with it.

When he arrived back home he found Raven reading while Cyborg and Beast Boy played a new video game. Starfire was cooking in the kitchen with Silky resting by her feet. He smiled pleased to be home with his friends.

"Robin! It's good to see you again. I take it that your training session went well today?" Starfire inquired as she raced over and hugged her boyfriend.

"Yeah everything is cool. Hi guys is everyone doing okay?" Robin asked. The others nodded and went back to what they where doing. Robin kissed Starfire and then excused himself so he could go to his room.

Taking out his journal he wrote down everything that had been happening for the last few months and how he felt. He glanced at the pictures of his friends and his newly framed truce agreement with Slade. Sighing he put his journal away and grabbed his teddy bear to take a quick nap. Life was good.


End file.
